Police reported on Friday that women in the northern Indian state of Manipur attacked the house of the main suspect in a sexual assault case that has outraged the nation.
As ethnic violence swept the state on Friday, authorities stated that the person is accused of dragging two tribal women onto the streets in May and then encouraging a crowd to rape and display them naked.
The sexual assault occurred over two months ago but came to public attention last week after a brief video went viral on social media.
Khuirem Herodas, a Meitei who has been named as the main suspect, was apprehended on Thursday shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi broke his nearly 80-day quiet on the unrest in Manipur and called the alleged sexual assault “shameful” and threatened strict action.
A police spokesman said that at least 30 suspects were being sought in addition to the three other detained people.
“Local women pelted stones and burnt some parts of the house belonging to the prime accused in a village,” said Hemant Pandey, a senior police official in the state capital Imphal.
“We request women to protest peacefully as there is intense unease. We understand their rage,” he said.
To raise concerns about the safety of women in the nation, rights groups organized protests in several Indian cities, calling for justice and prompt investigations into the most recent incident.
Since May, Manipur has witnessed violent protests and ethnic clashes. As a result, at least 125 people have been killed, and more than 40,000 have fled their homes since then, according to Reuters.
