Kangpokpi, Manipur (Agencies): A shocking video has gone viral from the Indian state of Manipur, depicting a distressing scene where a group of men, some as young as 15, are seen parading and sexually assaulting two women from the Kuki-Zo tribe. The 26-second video shows the women being stripped naked and subjected to horrifying abuse as they are led towards an empty field.
According to the first information report (FIR) filed by the survivors, one of the women, aged 21, was subjected to gang rape during the incident, while the other woman was 42 years old.
This appalling incident took place on May 4, just a day after deadly ethnic riots erupted between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo tribes in the remote state of Manipur in India’s northeast. The state is governed by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The Meiteis, constituting over half of Manipur’s 3.5 million population, primarily reside in the capital city of Imphal and the surrounding prosperous valley. On the other hand, the Kuki-Zo and Naga tribes inhabit the hill districts surrounding the valley.
The ethnic clashes that broke out between the two communities, triggered by a proposal to extend reservation in government jobs and education to the Meiteis, have resulted in at least 130 deaths, mostly from the Kuki-Zo community, and over 50,000 people being displaced from their homes.