India orders probe into tourist video of dancing tribeswomen

India's government has ordered a probe into a video showing semi-naked tribal women allegedly dancing for food, news reports said Thursday.

The video of the Jarawas, who inhabit the Andamans archipelago, was released by The Observer, a London-based newspaper, with a report that detailed the exploitation of the tribe by tourist safaris.

The undated video has angered rights campaigners who have called for such tours to be stopped.

Tribal Affairs Minister KC Deo described the video as "disgusting" even as local officials said the video was old.

"We have asked the administration to inquire into the matter and verify when the footage was taken and by whom," Home Secretary RK Singh told the Times of India daily.

The video will also be examined by the National Technical Research Organization, the technical intelligence wing of the government.

The Andamans police said the video was several years old and rejected the allegations and denied that police were bribed to take tourists into the Jarawas' reserve.

The Jarawas, numbering around 365, are among the world's most vulnerable tribes.

Indian laws provide for the protection of ancient tribes susceptible to outside influence and disease, and ban photographing or contacting some Andaman aborigines, including the Jarawa tribe.

Last year, London-based Survival International said eight Indian travel companies were running "human safari tours" so tourists could see and photograph the Jarawas.