Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said his heart was filled with anguish and anger over the horrific video of two women paraded naked in Manipur, which went viral on Wednesday, and said the guilty would not be spared.
“I want to assure the nation, no guilty will be spared. Action will be taken according to the law. What happened to the daughters of Manipur can never be forgiven,” PM Modi said in his remarks before the start of the monsoon session of parliament.

“As I stand next to this temple of democracy, my heart is filled with pain and anger. The Manipur incident is shameful for any civilised nation. The entire country has been shamed.”

The video that has triggered massive condemnation and demands for action shows two women being paraded naked by a mob in Manipur on May 4, a day after clashes broke out between the valley-majority Meitei and the hill-majority Kuki tribe in the BJP-ruled state over the Meiteis’ demand for Scheduled Tribes (ST) status.

The women were molested and dragged to a field, where they were allegedly gang-raped. The first arrest, 77 days after the incident, was reported today, a day after the video went viral. Condemning the Manipur horror, PM Modi also referred to incidents in Congress-ruled Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh and said: “I appeal to all Chief Ministers to strengthen law and order in their state, especially regarding our mothers and sisters, and take strictest action, be it in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh or Manipur. In every corner of India, we should rise above politics and act against heinous crimes.”

Opposition parties have demanded the Prime Minister’s statement in parliament over the Manipur horror. Some 15 MPs have put in notice to suspend all business for a discussion on Manipur.

In a tweet, Rahul Gandhi said, “Prime Minister’s silence and inaction has led Manipur into anarchy. INDIA will not stay silent when the idea of India is being attacked in Manipur. We stand with the people of Manipur. Peace is the only way forward.” His sister and Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also asked if such visuals disturb the government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Congress leader said in a tweet in Hindi, “Visuals of sexual violence coming from Manipur is heart-wrenching and disturbing. Words will fall short for condemning such violence. The maximum burnt of violence has to be borne by women and children.” “We must all condemn the violence in one voice while furthering the efforts for peace in Manipur. Why is the Central government and the Prime Minister sitting blindly over the violent incidents in Manipur? Do such pictures and violent incidents not disturb them,” she questioned.