US Expresses Concerns Over Manipur Incident, Calls It Brutal

The United States has expressed deep concern over viral videos showing two women paraded naked in Manipur, a sexual assault case that shook the country.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson called the incident brutal and terrible and said the United States conveyed its sympathies to the victims.

The United States encouraged a peaceful and inclusive resolution to the Manipur violence and urged authorities to respond to humanitarian needs while protecting all groups, homes and places of worship, the State Department spokesperson was quoted saying by Reuters.

Tension mounted in the hills of Manipur after a May 4 video surfaced on Wednesday showing two women from one of the warring communities being paraded naked by a few men from the other side.

The video was doing the rounds on the eve of a planned protest march announced by the Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF) on Thursday to highlight their plight.

Manipur state has been witnessing ethnic clashes since May 3 between majority the Meiteis, concentrated in Imphal valley, and the Kukis, occupying the hills. Over 160 people have been killed in the violence so far.