India village elders order sisters gang-raped and paraded around naked
What happens when your brother runs away with a married woman from a higher social caste? In the case of the Baghpat district in northern India's Uttar Pradeshin state, village elders will probably order the sibling(s) to be gang-raped then paraded around the town naked with blackened face.
An unelected, all-male council has passed such a ruling against the man's sisters, 23-year-old Meenakshi Kumari and her unnamed 15-year-old sister, as punishment for their brother’s running away with a married woman from the village’s dominant Jat caste.
The sisters and their whole family, who are all from the lower Dalit caste, have since fled the village over fears of their safety, leaving their home at the mercy of looters.
“Nothing could justify this abhorrent punishment. It’s not fair. It’s not right. And it’s against the law. Demand that the local authorities intervene immediately,” said Amnesty International.
The human rights group has called on Indian authorities to guarantee the sisters’ safety and has also launched an online petition, already signed by over 100,000 people, aimed at stopping the execution of ruling. The older sister has also reportedly filed a petition with India's Supreme Court requesting safe passage back to their village.
“After we went to the Supreme Court, the villagers are even more aggressive,” said one of her brothers. “They don't listen to us. The police don't listen to us. The police said anyone can be murdered now."
According to the National Crime Records Bureau, one woman is raped every 20 minutes in India. The country has a long history of sexual violence cases. In December 2012, the fatal gang rape of a 23-year-old woman aboard a moving bus in new Delhi sparked mass outrage throughout the country.
“Unelected village councils such as this are widespread in parts of India. More often than not they are made up of older men from dominant castes, who prescribe rules for social behavior and interaction in villages," said Amnesty.
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