Thousands sign petition over Indian sisters due to be raped as punishment after brother elopes

More than 27,000 people have signed a petition to save two Indian sisters from being raped as a punishment for their brother running off with a married woman.

Meenakshi Kumari, 23, and her 15-year-old sister have fled their village after an unelected all-male village council made the order.

The council also demanded the sisters were paraded naked with blackened faces to humiliate them for their brother's actions.

Amnesty International today condemned the "disgusting" ruling.

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.
 
Two Indian sisters to be raped as punishment after their brother ran off with married woman

"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."

More than 27,000 people in the UK have called for protection of the sisters in an Amnesty petition within the first 12 hours of it going live.

According to news site Zee Media , the sisters' brother Ravi fell in love with a girl from the Jat caste, a higher social caste than Ravi and his family, who are Dalit, once known as the 'untouchables', who are at the bottom of India's caste system.

The Jat woman's family married her off to someone else in February but she later escaped and eloped with Ravi in March.

As punishment, on July 31 a village council decided Ravi's sisters should be raped to avenge his actions.

Sumit Kumar, another brother of Meenakshi, told Amnesty that members of the Jat caste were powerful members of the village council, saying: "The Jat decision is final."

His family fears for their lives if they return. Meenakshi has filed a petition with India's Supreme Court asking for protection.

They are also worried about the safety of the Jat woman, who is believed to be pregnant with Ravi's child.

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