Global Outrage Follows Sentencing of Two Indian Women to Punishment by Gang Rape

[Hashshāshīn]

India's treatment of women is again eliciting shock as reports circulate about an unofficial council of village elders who ordered two Indian women to be gang-raped after their brother eloped with a married woman of a higher caste.

Meenakshi Kumari, 23, and her 15-year-old sister were told that their faces would be blackened and they would be raped and paraded naked in front of their neighbors by a council based in Uttar Pradesh, northern India. Kumari then petitioned the Indian Supreme Court to protect her and her family, which is of the Dalit caste — the lowest in India's hierarchy. Members of the caste were previously referred to as "untouchables." The word Dalit means "oppressed."

The woman their brother eloped with is of the higher Jat caste.

Amnesty International launched a petition decrying the treatment of the sisters. It has gathered nearly 30,000 signatures. The sentence — decided and delivered by an all-male, unofficial council known as a khap panchayat — was handed down on July 30, according to Amnesty.

According to the New Indian Express, their 22-year-old brother had been having an affair with the 21-year-old woman for three years. They ran away together twice, in January and March. When they were eventually discovered in the city of Meerut last summer, the woman issued charges against the man for abducting her. He is currently being held in prison.

While pleading her innocence to the Supreme Court, Kumari said that she was no longer able to return to her village and had "been rendered homeless."

Rachel Alcock, Amnesty UK's Urgent Action Coordinator, told VICE News that the government of Uttar Pradesh has an urgent duty to keep this family safe.

"Rape is a revolting crime, not a punishment. It's no wonder this disgusting 'sentence' has provoked global outrage," she said. "These khap [unofficial village] courts routinely order vile sexually violent punishments against women. India's Supreme Court has rightly declared such orders illegal."

Human rights advocates have called for an independent investigation into such illegal orders, which these regional councils evidently continue to issue. India's Supreme Court does not recognize khap panchayatas, which hold great influence in rural areas and are very conservative.

Global Outrage Follows Sentencing of Two Indian Women to Punishment by Gang Rape | VICE News

 

[RazorMC]

How do you explain this to villagers living decades away from civilization?

 

[ebony&ivory]

In India, gang rape is a government program not a crime.

 

[Desert Fox]

India's treatment of women is again eliciting shock as reports circulate about an unofficial council of village elders who ordered two Indian women to be gang-raped after their brother eloped with a married woman of a higher caste.

Meenakshi Kumari, 23, and her 15-year-old sister were told that their faces would be blackened and they would be raped and paraded naked in front of their neighbors by a council based in Uttar Pradesh, northern India. Kumari then petitioned the Indian Supreme Court to protect her and her family, which is of the Dalit caste — the lowest in India's hierarchy. Members of the caste were previously referred to as "untouchables." The word Dalit means "oppressed."

The woman their brother eloped with is of the higher Jat caste.

Amnesty International launched a petition decrying the treatment of the sisters. It has gathered nearly 30,000 signatures. The sentence — decided and delivered by an all-male, unofficial council known as a khap panchayat — was handed down on July 30, according to Amnesty.

According to the New Indian Express, their 22-year-old brother had been having an affair with the 21-year-old woman for three years. They ran away together twice, in January and March. When they were eventually discovered in the city of Meerut last summer, the woman issued charges against the man for abducting her. He is currently being held in prison.

While pleading her innocence to the Supreme Court, Kumari said that she was no longer able to return to her village and had "been rendered homeless."

Rachel Alcock, Amnesty UK's Urgent Action Coordinator, told VICE News that the government of Uttar Pradesh has an urgent duty to keep this family safe.

"Rape is a revolting crime, not a punishment. It's no wonder this disgusting 'sentence' has provoked global outrage," she said. "These khap [unofficial village] courts routinely order vile sexually violent punishments against women. India's Supreme Court has rightly declared such orders illegal."

Human rights advocates have called for an independent investigation into such illegal orders, which these regional councils evidently continue to issue. India's Supreme Court does not recognize khap panchayatas, which hold great influence in rural areas and are very conservative.

Global Outrage Follows Sentencing of Two Indian Women to Punishment by Gang Rape | VICE News

That's just sickening.

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

Meenakshi Kumari, 23, and her 15-year-old sister were told that their faces would be blackened and they would be raped and paraded naked in front of their neighbors by a council based in Uttar Pradesh, northern India. Kumari then petitioned the Indian Supreme Court to protect her and her family, which is of the Dalit caste — the lowest in India's hierarchy. Members of the caste were previously referred to as "untouchables." The word Dalit means "oppressed."

The woman their brother eloped with is of the higher Jat caste.

So this punishment was issued PURELY because a lower caste man married a higher caste woman?

Basically it is entirely a caste issue?

 

[Kyusuibu Honbu]

In India, gang rape is a government program not a crime.

@Chinese-Dragon
Does this post qualify for a negative rating?

 

[Hashshāshīn]

@Chinese-Dragon
Does this post qualify for a negative rating?

Stop worrying about negative ratings like a child and focus on the news. Indians are more concerned about who to give negative ratings than rampant gang rapes in their country.

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

@Chinese-Dragon
Does this post qualify for a negative rating?

Didn't read it until you referred me to it. I have to read it on my own before I can rate it, if someone else referred it to me I can't rate on their behalf.

Also I read on this forum somewhere that South Indians are more likely to be lower caste, so is this a bigger problem in South India?

And why do they use rape as a punishment? Is it not bad enough that India has only made the international news in the last few years for rape and gang rape related headlines?

 

[Kyusuibu Honbu]

Stop worrying about negative ratings like a child and focus on the news. Indians are more concerned about who to give negative ratings than rampant gang rapes in their country.

Here is what the TTA stated in another thread

Rape is not something used for a joke or to score political points.

but finds nothing wrong with this post

In India, gang rape is a government program not a crime.

@kadamba-warrior
@IndoUS
@Capt.Popeye
@ayesha.a

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

Here is what the TTA stated in another thread



but finds nothing wrong with this post



@kadamba-warrior
@IndoUS
@Capt.Popeye
@ayesha.a

Putting words in my mouth?

I never gave any opinion on that post at all. I didn't even read it until you referred it to me.

But for the sake of argument, ebony&ivory correctly pointed out that this is an officially sanctioned punishment. Only in India.

 

[Kyusuibu Honbu]

Putting words in my mouth?

I never gave any opinion on that post at all. I didn't even read it until you referred it to me.

Are you denying you gave this opinion?

Rather to respect basic human decency and to show courtesy to your hosts on this forum.

But then I expected too much.

Using the rape of someone's ancestors in order to score a political point on a forum, that is really low.

Rape is not something used for a joke or to score political points.

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

Are you denying you gave this opinion?

Why would I deny writing a post I wrote in the last hour or so?

Nice deflection though, you're trying to turn this topic into a flame war so you can get it deleted. But I won't take the bait, I'm here to discuss the topic.

On topic: Why does India use rape as a punishment? They are just fuelling the global media perception of India as a "rape capital", to the extent where most of the major countries around the world have issued "travel advisories", warning their women against travelling to India.

Now I don't agree with some in the West who paint this problem as a part of India's "culture" (such as the British documentary and the German professor who rejected an Indian student due to this). But this kind of stuff definitely does not help your cause.

 

[Spectre]

But for the sake of argument, ebony&ivory correctly pointed out that this is an officially sanctioned punishment. Only in India.

Such level of ignorance is not expected from a member of your standing, RAPE IS NOT OFFICIALLY SANCTIONED IN INDIA AS A PUNISHMENT. You should know that those ignorant backwater retards who meted out the punishment will be investigated and if they indeed called for such heinous act then they would be incarcerated for life.

Your words betray complete ignorance of Indian laws and prevailing zeitgeist of India or you have deliberately posted the above statement to provoke.

Regards

 

[Kyusuibu Honbu]

But for the sake of argument, ebony&ivory correctly pointed out that this is an officially sanctioned punishment. Only in India.

The bolded part exposes your sick duplicity when it comes to rape being used for political point scoring.

I hope it helps you sleep comfortably tonight with your achievement. I guess victims of Nanking mean nothing you.

@MilSpec

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

I guess victims of Nanking mean nothing you.

Making fun of the Rape of Nanking yet again?

Nope I'm not actually shocked. If you did it before it makes sense you would do it again.

And yet another deflection away from discussing the topic.