Country stands with Manipur, says Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the situation in Manipur has improved over the last few days and both the Centre and state government are working to end the ethnic clashes that erupted in May and have claimed 160 lives so far.

The PM lamented the loss of lives and gender crimes, and assured the state that the nation stands with them.

Modi was addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on Independence Day when he made the statements.

"In the past few weeks, a phase of violence was witnessed in the northeast, especially in Manipur. Several people lost their lives, and the honour of mothers and daughters was tarnished," he said, in an apparent reference to videos of a mob stripping and parading two naked women, one of whom was also allegedly gang raped. Several cases of such crimes emerged later after the videos triggered nationwide outrage.