Indian Village Elders Accused Of Ordering Gang Rape
Several atrocious gang rapes have been reported in India over the past year or so, and the one this week in West Bengal has a particularly sinister twist.
An all-male village tribunal was allegedly upset that a 20-year old tribal woman had fallen in love with a man outside the community and it ordered that she be gang-raped as punishment.
The young woman is being treated in a hospital after telling authorities that she was sexually assaulted by 12 men earlier this week.
According to police, when her "unauthorized" relationship was discovered, the village council first imposed a fine on the young woman equivalent to hundreds of dollars.
But her family said they were too poor to pay and the council in the village of Subalpur, 110 miles north of Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal, ordered her to be sexually assaulted.
"Go enjoy the girl and have fun," the head of the tribunal told villagers, according to the complaint filed by the woman's family.
The chief of the tribunal, identified as Balai Mardi in news reports, was arrested along with 12 other men and they appeared in court on Thursday.
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