Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi visit the Francis Crick Institute in London, April 18, 2018. Stefan Rousseau/Pool via Reuters

LONDON (Reuters) - Rape is rape and should not be politicized, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday, adding that recent sexual assaults were a matter of shame for the nation.

Modi was greeted on a visit to London by hundreds of noisy protesters, demonstrating against a rising tide of sexual violence at home including two particularly brutal rapes.

“Rape is rape ... How can we accept this?” Modi said through a translator at a diaspora event, adding that people needed to ask more questions of the perpetrators.

“This is a matter of great concern for the country and these sinners are somebody’s sons... The rape of a (daughter) is a matter of worry, a shame for the country.”