The United States is “shocked and horrified” by the video of an extreme attack on two women in Manipur and supports the Indian government’s efforts to seek justice for them, a senior Biden administration official has said.
The assault, in which a mob allegedly raped and paraded the naked women, took place over two months ago, but it captured national and global attention as the video went viral on social media on July 19. Police have so far arrested 6 accused who can be seen in the video and also apprehended a juvenile in the case.
Also Read: Manipur violence: Mob torches houses, buses used by security forces
Deputy Spokesperson of the State Department, Vedant Patel, told reporters at his daily news conference on Tuesday, “We were shocked and horrified by the video of this extreme attack on two women in Manipur. We convey our profound sympathies to the survivors of this act of gender-based violence and support the Indian Government’s efforts to seek justice for them.”
“And as we have previously stated, we encourage a peaceful and inclusive resolution to the violence in Manipur and encourage authorities to respond to the humanitarian needs and protect the lives and property of all groups,” added Patel.
Also Read: Ensure violence ends in Manipur: Human rights panel to state government
Earlier, the US state department had expressed concern about the situation in strife-torn Manipur, calling the incident ‘brutal’ and ‘terrible’.
Last week, PM Modi in his first remarks on the Manipur issue, condemned the assault as “shameful” and promised tough action.
More than 160 people have lost their lives since the ethnic clashes broke out on May 3, after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status, reports PTI.