15,000 protesters demand arrests after women paraded naked in the street by armed mob in India
THOUSANDS of protesters held a sit-in yesterday demanding the arrest of those involved in mob assaults on two women paraded naked in the street.
Religious and other leaders addressed nearly 15,000 demonstrators — mostly women — in Churachandpur, India.
They also called for the sacking of Biren Singh, the top elected official in the north-eastern state of Manipur where more than 130 people have been killed since violence between ethnic groups erupted in May.
A video, showing the naked women surrounded by young men who grope their genitals and drag them to a field, triggered outrage when it was shared on social media on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the incident had "shamed India" and that "no guilty will be spared".
"I assure the nation, the law will take its course with all its might.
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What happened with the daughters of Manipur can never be forgiven," he said.
The violence depicted in the video was emblematic of the near-civil war in Manipur, a state of 3.7 million tucked in the mountains near India's border with Myanmar.
At least 130 have been killed and 60,000 have been displaced after ethnic clashes broke out between the Meitei and Kuki communities in May.
The two warring factions have also formed armed militias and isolated villages are regularly raked with gunfire.
