By 
The US expressed grave worry about reports of viral videos showing two women paraded naked in India’s northeastern state of Manipur, a sexual assault case that outraged the country.
The incident, in which a mob allegedly assaulted and paraded naked women, occurred over two months ago, but the footage went viral on social media in the last week, capturing national and global attention. Some arrests have been made by the police.
The incident was described as “brutal” and “terrible” by a US State Department official, who expressed the country’s condolences to the victims.
The victims, aged 21 and 19, reported the assault in May, during significant ethnic conflicts between the tribal Kuki people and the majority ethnic Meitei over anticipated changes to Kuki economic benefits.
The unrest was put down after New Delhi dispatched thousands of paramilitary and army forces to the 3.2-million-person state. However, intermittent violence and killings resumed soon after, and the situation has been unstable ever since.
Since the violence started in Manipur, at least 125 people have been killed and another 40,000 have fled their homes.
According to a State Department official, the US welcomed a peaceful and inclusive resolution to the Manipur violence and urged authorities to react to humanitarian needs while protecting all groups, houses, and places of worship.
