Editor’s Note: This report consists of particulars of sexual assaults and violence.

CNN
 — 

A graphic video displaying two ladies being paraded bare within the northeastern Indian state of Manipur has provoked widespread anger within the nation and spurred a number of arrests after it emerged on social media on Wednesday.

The viral video depicts an incident from May 4, in accordance with the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF). Manipur Police described the incident on Twitter as “a case of abduction, gang rape and murder” on Wednesday.

Officials mentioned Thursday that 4 folks have been arrested and that police raids are ongoing. Authorities are interrogating greater than three dozen males in relation to the obvious sexual assault, Reuters reported.

The video, which has been seen by CNN, reveals two terrified ladies being compelled to stroll bare via a crowd of clothed males. The victims look like being groped and sexually assaulted whereas surrounded by a mob of males, many brandishing lengthy canes or sticks as weapons.

The horrific footage emerged amid ongoing ethnic violence within the northeastern Indian state.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the state of affairs within the state for the primary time on Thursday, saying: “My heart is filled with grief and anger. The incident in Manipur is shameful for any civil society.”

“What happened with the daughters of Manipur can never be forgiven,” Modi continued, including the “law will take its course with all its might.”

The Upper House of Parliament was adjourned minutes into reconvening after opposition MPs sparked an outcry over the refusal to debate the difficulty of Manipur.

The ITLF issued an announcement on Wednesday, writing: “A video which went viral today shows a large Meitei mob parading two Kuki-Zo tribal women naked toward a paddy field to be gang-raped.”

The assertion continued saying the “despicable incident” happened in B. Phainom village in Kangpokpi district and “shows the men constantly molesting the helpless women, who cry and plead with their captors.”

In current months, Manipur has grappled with violence. Clashes broke out within the state capital Imphal on May 3 after hundreds of scholars, principally from the Kuki tribe, took half in a rally in opposition to the bulk Meitei ethnic neighborhood, who’ve petitioned for particular tribal standing. Among different issues, tribal standing would allow the Meitei to purchase land and supply extra alternatives for presidency jobs.

Over 100 folks have been killed and tens of hundreds extra displaced since then.

The incident on May 4 occurred after the ladies’s village was burnt down and two males have been overwhelmed to dying, in accordance with the ITLF.

India’s most important opposition Congress celebration has been a vehement critic in the direction of Modi’s dealing with of the difficulty, with the celebration’s president Mallikarjun Kharge tweeting Thursday, earlier than the opening of Parliament: “Humanity has died in Manipur. Modi Govt and the BJP has changed democracy and the rule of law into Mobocracy by destroying the delicate social fabric of the state.”

Tagging Modi, his tweet continued: “India will never forgive your silence. If there is any conscience or an iota of shame left in your government, then you should speak about Manipur in the Parliament and tell the nation on what happened, without blaming others for your dual incompetence – both at the Centre and the State.”

Soon after, the state’s chief minister, N. Biren Singh, tweeted that an arrest had been made.

“After taking a Suo-moto cognisance of the incident immediately after the video surfaced, the Manipur Police swung to action and made the first arrest this morning,” he wrote. Suo-moto cognisance is a process in Indian legislation permitting the court docket to take motion in a case and not using a criticism being filed.

He added that “a thorough investigation is currently underway and we will ensure strict action is taken against all the perpetrators, including considering the possibility of capital punishment. Let it be known, there is absolutely no place for such heinous acts in our society.”

Manipur police later mentioned that it had made three extra arrests of individuals accused “of the heinous crime of abduction and gang rape.”

The Indian authorities has issued an order to Twitter and different social media platforms, instructing them to not share the viral video, a supply accustomed to the matter instructed CNN Thursday, including it’s “imperative for social media platforms to adhere to Indian laws as the matter is currently under investigation.”