21 July 2023 , 13:05
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Indian lawmakers are calling for blood after a mob of men paraded two naked women through the streets.
In a video, which has since gone viral, the women look visibly distressed as they're led along a gravel road, sandwiched between a mob of men, some of whom grab at their bodies.
The incident reportedly took place in B. Phainom village, a small town in Manipur's Kangpokpi district at the start of May.
The area has been torn apart by tribal clashes between the majority Meitei community and the other groups that live in the hills surrounding them. The fighting is said to have claimed the lives of at least 140 people.
After the horrific incident the women were interviewed by Indian media outlets. They gave first-hand accounts of the events, with unconfirmed reports that one of the women was gang-raped by the mob.
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Now one of India's female politicians has said she feels the most suitable punishment for the men is death.
A man tried to climb over a police barricade amid protests against the assault in New Delhi (AP)Khushbu Sundar, a member of Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata party, demanded those responsible face execution.
“We should hang our heads in shame. This is a time when we need to put out political differences aside," said Ms Sundar, who is also the leader of the country's National Commission for Women.
"As people of this nation, we must ensure that women are safe. We need to blame ourselves. I definitely demand capital punishment for the culprits."
Ms Sundar's calls were echoed by Amravati Navneet Rana, and independent MP, who said: “This is a very sad incident. In India, the nation is worshipped as a goddess.
"This is not a part of politics. When something like this happens, we women MPs are also questioned. I demand strict punishment for the culprits. As women, we should be united for the safety of other women."
The death penalty in India is reserved only for the "rarest of cases", but rape is punishable by death. While public opinion is not supposed to hold sway in the Indian legal system, it often does, with cases that abhor the general public often being addressed in the most severe terms.
For example, the infamous Nirbhaya rape case in 2013 - in which a young woman was brutally gang-raped, mutilated, tortured and killed while riding a bus with a male friend in New Delhi - public outrage dictated changes to the way rape cases are investigated.
The mob has not yet been identified, but, according to the police they number 800 to 1,000 individuals. According to a police report, they burnt down houses in B. Phainom and snatched two men and three women as they tried to flee.
The mob then killed one of the men and forced the women to strip, with two of them later escaping. The police say the remaining woman was gang-raped and that her brother was murdered when he tried to stop the assault.
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Both women survived the incident, with one later telling local media: "Manipur's Police were present there, but they didn't help us." The other, who reportedly lost her two loved ones in the attack, reiterated: "They didn't do anything to help us."
Harrowingly, the first survivor recalled: "They took us to a bushy area. Three people held me and one gave out a call, 'Those who want to torture them, please come.'"
The second, contrary to what the authorities have said, has denied being raped. She told local media: "We were not raped by them - they just took off our clothes and touched our bodies."
Superintendent K. Meghachandra Singh of the Manipur Police said in a statement obtained by CEN on July 19: "As regard to the viral videos of 02 (two) women paraded naked by unknown armed miscreants on 4th May, 2023, a case of abduction, gang rape and murder etc. was registered at Nongpok Sekmai PS (Thoubal District) against unknown armed miscreants and the investigation has been started. The State Police is making all-out effort to arrest the culprits at the earliest."