Indians are outraged after seeing a video of two women being paraded naked by a mob in the violent state of Manipur in the northeast.
In addition to arresting a man, the police said they have opened a case of gang rape and will be holding additional suspects soon.
As a result of legislators’ demands for a debate on the matter, the Delhi parliament’s session was suspended on Thursday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also said the incident had “shamed India” and that “no guilty will be spared”.
“I assure the nation, the law will take its course with all its might. What happened with the daughters of Manipur can never be forgiven,” he said, finally breaking his silence on Manipur more than two months after violence erupted.
Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud also expressed concern over the assault, saying the Supreme Court was “deeply disturbed over the video”. Telling the government to inform the court about the steps being taken against the accused, the chief justice said “we will take action if you don’t”.
Although the police say the assault on the women happened on May 4, the video that went viral on social media on Thursday brought the incident to national attention. The federal government has requested that all social media networks remove the video.
Manipur’s ethnic hostilities between the Meitei and Kuki communities began in May, and since then, at least 130 people have died and 60,000 have been homeless.
On Wednesday, numerous people posted the two women’s horrifying footage on social media. A group of men drag them and prod them before pushing them into a field in the video.