Protest after the gang rape of two teenage girls in New Delhi
Two sisters
in India - one aged only 15 years - are to be raped as
"punishment" for their brother running away with a married woman from
a higher caste in the
latest case to shock the country.Meenakshi Kumari, who is 23, and
her younger sister, will then be paraded naked with their faces blackened
through the streets, according to a ruling from the all-male village council.
The sisters have petitioned the
country's Supreme Court to be protected from the so-called
"eye-for-an-eye" ruling from the village council in Uttar Pradesh
state, 50 kilometres from the capital Delhi.
The family are from the Dalit
caste, historically known as "untouchables". However, the brother
fell in love with a woman from the higher, Jat, caste.
The woman was forced into an
arranged marriage in February with a man from her own caste despite her
relationship, according to Zee news, citing the elder sister Meenakshi.
The couple eloped in March, but
returned to the village after the man's family were allegedly tortured by
police.
The village council then made its
ruling that the Dalit family should be dishonoured to "avenge" the
brother's supposed crime.
Meenakshi and her sister ran away
to the capital after the ruling was handed out and were able to submit their
petition for protection for their family at the Supreme Court. However, they are
still facing the punishment when they return home.
Khap panchayats are the archaic systems of village justice that
exist in much of rural India. They are dominated by the Jat caste and are
almost always run by male village elders.
The "courts" often
order honour killings and sexual "punishments" and are frequently
allowed to operate completely outside the Indian legal system, despite the
Supreme Court labelling them "kangaroo courts".
Jats are powerful sources of
votes and few politicians have been prepared to challenge the system.
Amnesty International has set up a petition against the
punishment, stating: "Nothing could justify this abhorrent punishment.
It's not fair. It's not right. And it's against the law."
Rachel Alcock, Amnesty UK's
urgent action coordinator, said: "Rape is a revolting crime, not a
punishment. It's no wonder this disgusting 'sentence' has provoked global
outrage.
"These Khap courts routinely
order vile sexually violent punishments against women. India's supreme court
has rightly declared such orders illegal.
"The government of Uttar
Pradesh has an urgent duty to keep this family safe.
"There must also be a
proper, independent investigation into these barbaric and illegal orders which
apparently continue to be issued by the khap panchayat courts."
The gang rape of a 23-year-old student in Delhi in December 2012horrified
the country and led to mass street protests and the central government vowing
reform of the penal code.
However, last December, the
girl's father said the promises of legal reform had not been met. A BBC documentary called India's Daughter broadcast in March proved
highly controversial for its portrayal of how widespread the problem of rape is
in India.
Telegraph, London
How can India claim to be the world's largest democracy when it still has an ingrained caste system?
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