It’s horrifying, it’s shameful, it’s ugly! A Khap Panchayat (a village council) of Baghpat district of Uttar Pradesh in India recently gave orders to rape of two sisters when their elder brother eloped with a married woman belonging to a higher caste. This unelected village council ordered that a woman, 23, and her sister, 15, should be raped and paraded naked with their faces blackened in the villages.
The Khap reportedly consists of an upper caste male members who belong to rich Zamindar community of the village. The horrifying orders made by the Khap members have come across as a shocked and has evoked severe criticism from the media, social activists and other members of the country. The khap diktat caused global outrage and criticism. The village council has now denied ever giving the orders of rape as a punishment for the sisters.
As soon this decision passed, both sisters and their family, from reported to be from a poor family belonging to a Dalit caste that the village believes to be inferior, fled the village. The family is rumoured to be hiding in New Delhi. In an interview to the Daily Mail UK, one of the sisters named Meenakshi described her plight. “I can’t sleep, I’m very scared. How will we ever return home or to our village? If we ever return they will harm us or rape us. If not today then in the future. Jats never forget and they will not forget this humiliation. They want their revenge,” said Meenakshi, in the interview to Daily Mail.
The Case
This family is living in a secrete place in New Delhi. It all started when the villagers learnt about Ravi Kumar (25), elder brother of the two sisters, being in a relationship with Krishna (21) a girl from Jat community. When families of this couple found this case, they tried their level best to keep the two apart. Relatives asked them to end the relationship as soon possible as they would never be allowed to be together.
Sibling of Ravi, Sumit Kumar (28) who live in Delhi said, “’It’s shameful that people still living in caste system. I am still in shock that the Khap panchayat could be so disgusting. I knew it was going to be bad, I knew our family would be in trouble but I never expected this. The situation is getting worse and I do not see any hope.”
When police asked village council about their order they denied saying, “We have not ordered naked parade order but we are not agreeing with this marriage.”
Amnesty International, whose online petition to save the two women was signed by more than 250,000 people, said they would not withdraw their petition despite the latest developments. “We will continue to push for protection for the family including both sisters. Our concern is their safety and rights.” Amnesty India women’s-rights campaigner Gopika Bakshi said.
In Court Supreme Court of India has ruled that these village councils are illegal and citizens are not bound to follow their decisions. The family has appealed to the Supreme Court for protection and Sumit has written to the Prime Minister, Chief Minister, Human Rights Commission, Schedule Caste Commission, but, no one has come forward to help him yet.
Police has earlier sent Ravi into prison in case of forceful marriage, but, he was soon freed on bail. “These cases happen often in rural India. After media attention local politicians have come forward but still the family are in danger. But these cases would not happen in this country if the police act appropriately and did their job. The government officials have a duty to stop such atrocities,” said Rahul Tyagi, Ravi’s lawyer. “No one has seen the girl from May 2015, so we are trying to ensure her safety and trying to produce her before the court,” added Ravi
Caste Case
The case has once again confirmed the regressive mindset and casteism prevalent in the rural India. Despite the constitutional changes, several villages are yet to change their mentality. According to the figures presented at the International Dalit Conference in Canada in 2003, nearly 90 per cent of all poor Indians and 95 per cent of all illiterate Indians fall in the community that is considered as backward by the peer villagers.