Of Tribes and Tribulations

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A video showing two tribal women being paraded by a mob in the northeastern state of Manipur sparked outrage across India this week, amid criticism that authorities have been slow at quelling the ongoing ethnic violence in the region, the BBC reported Thursday.

The footage showed the women being dragged and molested by a mob of men who then pushed them into a field. The incident took place in May, but it only now has received national attention when the video went viral on social media.

Police officials said they are investigating the attack as a case of gang rape and have detained a man connected to the incident. They added that they expect to make more arrests.

For the past two months, deadly clashes between Manipur’s Meitei and Kuki tribal communities have plunged the Indian state into turmoil. The violence has resulted in the deaths of at least 130 people, while 60,000 have been displaced.

Tribal officials and authorities said the two women were from the Kuki community and were assaulted by men belonging to the Meitei group.

The video prompted condemnation from across the political aisle, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi – who finally broke his silence about the situation in Manipur more than two months after the clashes began.

Opposition politicians also admonished the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party for not doing enough to curb the violence, while other critics questioned why authorities took so long to make the first arrest.