http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3217327/I-t-sleep-m-scared-loving-isn-t-wrong-One-two-Indian-sisters-sentenced-rape-untouchable-brother-ran-married-woman-higher-caste-reveals-terrifying-ordeal.html/

I can't sleep, I'm very scared': One of two Indian sisters sentenced to rape after 'untouchable' brother ran off with a married woman from higher caste reveals her terrifying ordeal.
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'I can't sleep, I'm very scared': One of two Indian sisters sentenced to rape after 'untouchable' brother ran off with a married woman from higher caste reveals her terrifying ordeal

By Helen Roberts

Meenakshi Kumari, 23, was sentenced to rape alongside 15-year-old sister

Feared un-elected council of upper caste men ordered savage punishment

Brother ran away with married woman with whom he had two-year affair
Family has appealed to India's Supreme Court and Prime Minister for help
One of two sisters sentenced to be raped in India after their brother ran off with a married woman from a higher caste has spoken out about her fear.

Meenakshi Kumari, 23, has described how she has been unable to sleep or leave the house for fear of the village elders - who sentenced her and her 15-year-old sister to rape – sending someone to deliver the punishment.

‘I can’t sleep, I’m very scared,’ she said from a secret location in Delhi, 30 miles from their village Sankrot, in Uttar Pradesh, central India.

‘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.

'I can't sleep, I'm very scared': Meenakshi Kumari, 23, has described how she has been unable to sleep or leave the house for fear of the village elders, who condemned her to be raped after her brother ran off with a married woman from a higher caste +6
'I can't sleep, I'm very scared': Meenakshi Kumari, 23, has described how she has been unable to sleep or leave the house for fear of the village elders, who condemned her to be raped after her brother ran off with a married woman from a higher caste
'Jats never forget and they will not forget this humiliation. They want their revenge. Loving someone is not wrong.’

Meenakshi and her little sister were with their family in Delhi for a wedding when a neighbour called and told them not to return to their village.

The neighbour warned that the un-elected village council, Khap panchayat, dominated by the upper caste 'Jat' men, had ordered the two sisters be raped and paraded naked with their faces blackened as punishment for their brother's actions.

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.
Meenakshi Kumari, 23

Their brother, Ravi Kumar, 25, from the Dalit caste - historically known as 'untouchables' - had been in a relationship with 21-year-old Krishna from the Jat caste for almost two years.

When both families discovered the relationship, they did all they could to keep the two lovers apart.

The siblings' older brother Sumit Kumar, 28, who works as a constable in the Delhi Police, told his younger brother to end the relationship immediately, as they would never be together.

'We belong to a lower caste, they are from an upper caste,' he said.

'I told him this relationship could never work. We are treated as untouchables but he didn't listen to me and now we are paying for it.'

Ravi met Krishna two years ago, when she joined his computer classes for children in Khekada, Uttar Pradesh.

They exchanged phone numbers and quickly fell in love. They were on the phone to each other all the time and arranged covert meetings in secret locations.

But when Ravi's father Naik Dharampal Singh, 52, heard of the relationship he ordered it to end immediately.

Even though Ravi ended the relationship, the pair couldn't bear to be apart.

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Family bond: Meenakshi (pictured) and her little sister were with their family in Delhi for a wedding when a neighbour called and told them not to return to their village, as the village elders had ordered their punishment
Family bond: Meenakshi (pictured) and her little sister were with their family in Delhi for a wedding when a neighbour called and told them not to return to their village, as the village elders had ordered their punishment
Eventually Krishna's parents started looking for prospective husbands for her but she refused.

‘It was hard for my brother but he understood the situation,’ Sumit said.

‘Her family knew about their relationship before the marriage. They beat their daughter a lot and gave my brother warnings many times.

'In the end my brother told her to go ahead with the marriage, she had to. She went ahead with the marriage in Haryana but she was very unhappy. They treated her like a maid.

'So she left and returned home. And that’s when she and my brother started their relationship again.’

Ravi and Krishna had eloped twice before but had returned. Each time Sumit claimed her family beat her.

I told him this relationship could never work. We are treated as untouchables but he didn't listen to me and now we are paying for it.
Older brother Sumit Kumar, 28

‘We made him understand it was dangerous. At the end of the day it’d be our family who would suffer. He understood what he was doing, he knew the risks but love took over.

'When the girl got in touch with him he just couldn’t contain his emotions. We are now helpless. His future is ruined completely and our family is in danger.’

Krishna’s family was so furious that the couple had eloped again they told the police Ravi was involved with drugs. When they were caught in Delhi at the end of May, Ravi was arrested and has been in Meerut Jail ever since.

Meenakshi and her family were already in Delhi when a neighbour called them to tell them it’s not safe to return to their village called Baghpat, in Uttar Pradesh, 30 miles from Delhi. It has approximately 250 Dalits compared to 7,000 Jats.

Meenakshi said: ‘My father got a call from a neighbour and told us not to come back. They said that the Khap panchayat – that are all Jats - took the decision to rape my sister and me and parade us naked. They want revenge.

‘It is wrong. We did nothing wrong so why should my sister and me be punished. They loved each other and it is they who decided to go. Why should we suffer?

'We have not left the house, as we are scared they might send someone to attack us. I am finding it very difficult to cope. I am very scared.

'People today are still living in the caste system; it’s the root of everything here. Right now I do not have any hopes, our future is ruined.’

Horrific tradition: India’s Supreme Court has ruled that these village councils – known as panchayats – are illegal, but they continue to operate across India. Pictured, the Ganges River in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh +6
Horrific tradition: India’s Supreme Court has ruled that these village councils – known as panchayats – are illegal, but they continue to operate across India. Pictured, the Ganges River in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
Sumit said: ‘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.’

India’s Supreme Court has ruled that these village councils – known as panchayats – are illegal, but they continue to operate across India.

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 yet.

Ravi got bail on June 26 but the family made the decision to keep him in prison because his life would be in danger if he was out on the streets.

Where caste is concerned it is wrong, and this is all based on caste. But there is no caste in love.
Meenakshi Kumari, 23

Family’s lawyer Rahul Tyagi, 39, said: ‘We’ve been everywhere asking for action but nothing has been done. So now were are at the Supreme Court.

'We’ve asked a few things. No one has seen the girl so we are asking that the girl be produced before the court so we can ensure her safety and well being. We’ve also asked for an independent investigation into the false accusation of the boy.

'And thirdly, a case should be registered against UP police for torturing the Dalit family and finally some security so the family can return to their home. We are hopeful that the Supreme Court will come down heavily on these cases; I have every faith in the judicial system of this country.

‘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.’

Meenakshi said that no one has seen Krishna since May and it is believed she is now allegedly saying that Ravi and Sumit held her captive for 10 days in Delhi and raped her.

Meenakshi said: ‘She is now saying that my elder bother Sumit and Ravi raped her for 10 days. She is saying that Ravi told her that he would get her a job in Delhi because his brother is in the police so she came with him and there they forced her to have sex.

'But they have pressurised her. I know she loved my brother a lot. Loving someone is not wrong. But the girl is Jat and we are the untouchables.

'Where caste is concerned it is wrong, and this is all based on caste. But there is no caste in love.’

INDIA'S CASTE SYSTEM - THE UNBEARABLE LIVES OF THE 'UNTOUCHABLES'

Society in many areas of India still revolves around a caste system, that makes like nearly impossible for those considered ‘Untouchables’.

According to the caste system, the ‘Untouchables’ – also known as Dalits, meaning 'oppressed' in Hindi and Marathi – are people tainted by their birth into a caste system that deems them to be impure.

Considered less than human, Dalits are subjected to numerous human rights abuses in the country.

Oppressed: Much of India's society still revolves around a caste system that brutally oppresses the people known as the 'Untouchables' or Dalits. They are relegated to the lowest rungs of society and fear punishment by upper-caste Hindus who keep them in their place with public humiliations +6
Oppressed: Much of India's society still revolves around a caste system that brutally oppresses the people known as the 'Untouchables' or Dalits. They are relegated to the lowest rungs of society and fear punishment by upper-caste Hindus who keep them in their place with public humiliations
‘Dalits are not allowed to drink from the same wells, attend the same temples, wear shoes in the presence of an upper caste, or drink from the same cups in tea stalls,’ Smita Narula, a senior researcher with Human Rights Watch, told the National Geographic.

‘There have been large-scale abuses by the police, acting in collusion with upper castes, including raids, beating in custody, failure to charge offenders or investigate reported crimes.’

Upper-caste Hindus seek to keep the ‘Untouchables’ in their place, with public beatings, parading them naked through the streets, and raping the women.

The people live in constant fear of punishment or public humiliation, and just walking through a neighbourhood reserved for upper-caste people is a life-threatening offence.

Nearly 90 per cent of all poor Indians and 95 per cent of all illiterate Indians are Dalits, according to figures presented at the International Dalit Conference in Canada, in 2003.

Relegated to the lowest jobs and the worst housing, the Dalits are oppressed, culturally subjugated and politically marginalised.

The Dalits’ lives are ordered by the principles of untouchability, which dictate what they are allowed to do; where they are allowed to live, go or sit; and who they can and cannot give water to, eat with, or marry.

The National Geographic and Navsarjan


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This is really ridiculous!

http://news.sky.com/story/1543918/protest-as-sisters-sentenced-to-be-raped/

I couldn't agree more. I studied Cultural Anthropology, love it & it is fascinating. And I use to believe, there was not only something to learn from each & everyone , but that there was good in each one.
But this is a case of how, NOT to be

Shame on you India ! Since you never stopped it, you therefore condone it.


Condone ...
accept and allow (behavior that is considered morally wrong or offensive) to continue.

synonyms: disregard, accept, allow, let pass, turn a blind eye to, overlook, forget; More
approve or sanction (something), especially with reluctance.

Their caste system has gone out of hand once again.

There is fine line between justice and revenge
if we cross the line we become no other as the corrupted mind people

Justice is never revenge but a feeling of guilty

Its all that kamasutra them indians been busy with thats driven em a lil fkd...somebodys always getting shagged, raped, killed or pregnant

I am thinking with a Western mind that NO CRIME was committed by anyone, UNTIL.. these self appointed old sadistic perverts ordered the rape etc.. , they are NOT seeking justice or revenge.

THEY are the criminals, & they should all be imprisoned or executed.

Nice point

Well stabbed in.

Question the bureaucracy here asks is have the 'girls being raped'?

these days the Indian Media / foreign media in India are quite powerful: although not comparable to the US media

the Law here is slow but grinding,
would take the 'elders' who engaged in the verdict to the docks
else the Police & the state minister would inevitably lose their positions

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As there seems to be some sort of 'contest' and resentment about India
and Indians from the past (sic) comments on some of my posts i'll hazard a brief if that interests some of you.

Over here we have several shades of brown and education.

For instance, in India, we are 25% Muslims.
(it would have been more but for the civil war, partition & formation of Pakistan)

To understand Indian mindset, check out this diversity:
Way before Islam, there were lot of immigration.
You see unlike the Pacific or the Atlantic,
the Indian Ocean separating Africa and India is peaceful, virtually a lake

1. Saint Thomas came over this lake to India (yeah, the doubting Thomas)
& we have what is the Syrian Church order in a state called Kerala

2. Alexander with his Greeks came to India,
some of them stayed back in what is the state of Gujarat

3. In the East, Bengal state, we have Indians with Chinese ethnicity!!

4. Ghengis Khan ransacked India & we have the Khan (Muslims) who are quite different from the Shahs

5. About the original natives? Oh, here i'm blacky black
from extreme South India (Tamil Nadu / Kerala).
Our DNA traces back to the aborginals of Australia
A time when the Australia and India were one continent before the tear apart. We are also considered as the regional source for best geeks in India!! (Bangalore exists because of us)

Even as we speak, the Indian land mass is going under the Tibet land mass,
this has given raise to the Himalayas;
at the peaks what do you find? fossils of fish!!

The Indian concept 'kings, kinships & wars' maybe in our folklores
but the boudaried nation is just 68 years old; after WW2
U see, India stopped agitating for Independence when Britain declared war on Germany
Indian soldiers fought in the Brit Army (WW1 & WW2) and we waited till the war was over
Ofcourse we had a splinter group who associated with the Japanese.
That's us, Indian people for you

So in a sense, we have many ethnically diverse nation-states in India
and running the Federal Government over here is not that simple as say running China which is ethnically singular - Chinese

We are not all Hindu and Muslim.
We have a strong presence of Sikhs, Buddhists
and Catholics & a very small minority are Anglo Indians
We have over 20 distinct languages;
that alone makes us a continent
so in that sense running India is running a continent
Laws cannot be enforced overnight


Our real problem is our population crisis:
We have 1/4 the land mass of the USA
and 4 times the population.
We can't just tell our farmers to stop having large families
we tried - it backfired
nor can we tell our Muslims
but the message is finally getting through (if India must survive)

The American Dollar is therefore 60 Indian bucks !!
Yeah, by your standards, we are down to a hand-to-mouth country

Next time you take a 'stab' on India think it over
We remain the only true democracy the world has got in this part of the planet Like France, we are a socialistic democracy.
More than any other country, the Chinese worry about us
Memories about a war with a neighbor generally last several generations

More than any other non-Muslim country, the Middle East is influenced by us. Indians are kidnapped by the ISIS and the Taliban
we negotiate (no money transfers) and there are no beheading.

Our relationship with Pakistan is a case to point.
even though the US Government and the Chinese provide military aid
it's not difficult for us to strike into a war considering the
terror infiltration by the Pakistani military.

but as the Pakistani people matter to us more than their
pseudo military government; we don't treat them as a Cuba

& personally?
i'm too small an alien to debate with a citizen of the world's most powerful country when she says 'shame on India'.

In your mind, a bullet solves the problem, doesn't it?

There's another way. Understand the enemy; what makes him tick & so on.
As the Man said: 'Father forgive them for they know not..'
It's this compassion that broke Rome from wars excesses

In my mind, Christ's words
are the nectar of Hinduism

It appears you are assuming my disgust for the way women are viewed, mistreated, disrespected & abused in different parts of the world, stems from a lack of knowledge & intolerance towards other cultures & religious.
You couldn't be more wrong.

This caste system is several thousand years in the making; with loosening of the structure just taking roots in the mid 20th century.

With this case in particular, it does not appear to be a credible threat; possibly stemming from village gossip.

Of note, the Indian government has taken steps against caste discrimation but this will obviously be a slow process. Eventually, the children of God will prevail.

As we say it, the meek shall inherit the earth.

This particular village council is led by a member of the lower caste; same one as the sisters. The council is also predominantly female. The stories of a threat being made are conflicting and based on hearsay. This council has denied the allegations and stated their main focus surrounds mundane subjects such as road repair, etc.

There are rare instances when rape is ordered as a punishment by a council but it does not appear to be the case here.