Indian woman, 24, forcibly married and gang-raped as 'honour' punishment after her brother eloped with village girl

She was forced to marry husband of brother's new girlfriend as revenge
Village elders allegedly said wedding was revenge for brother's adultery
But on day of nuptials her new husband's brothers gang raped her
The horrific 'punishment' was repeated mercilessly 'as a routine'

PUBLISHED: 13:54 GMT, 29 July 2013 | UPDATED: 13:54 GMT, 29 July 2013

The woman, whose face we have blurred to protect her identity, claims she was raped by her two brothers-in-law on the day of her wedding

A 24-year-old Indian woman was forcibly married and gang-raped as a brutal 'honour' punishment after her brother eloped with his girlfriend, it emerged today.

The woman - who cannot be named for her own safety - was told she would wed the husband of her brother's new girlfriend as 'revenge' for the couple's adultery.

And within hours of tying the knot to her new spouse, she was attacked and 'mercilessly' raped by several of his brothers.

Incredibly, the horrific assault was allegedly even sanctioned by village elders in the rural settlement in Uttar Pradesh, northern India, who proclaimed: 'An eye for eye is the actual justice.'

'I agreed to [their] decision because I knew that there would be bloodbath in the village if I refused to marry him,' the woman told police.

'My brothers-in-law raped me mercilessly the same day I married. It became a routine.

'My father-in-law claimed that he had agreed to my marriage since he wanted to take revenge [on my family] this way.'

The brutal incident came to light only when the victim found the courage to file a complaint with police.

'On March 26, they registered a case against my brother and police traced him and [my husband's sister]. They were released after she confessed before the magistrate that she married him willingly," the victim alleged in her complaint.

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The panchayat, or village council, reportedly forced the woman to marry after her brother had eloped with her husband-to-be's sister on February 15 this year.

The panchayat, which was convened around ten days after they ran away, demanded the enforced marriage. Besides this, it also asked the woman's parents to pay Rs 75,000 as compensation to her new in-laws.

The trainee nun was lured to meet her cousins and held captive for a week. It is the latest in a string of appalling rape cases in India after a student was gang-raped and died in Delhi sparking protests (pictured)

The panchayat later justified the appalling situation, saying 'an eye for eye is the actual justice'.

The alleged rapists - the offended family members - reportedly declared that it was their revenge for the elopement.

The woman somehow managed to escape their clutches on July 21, early in the morning, and filed a complaint with Muzaffarnagar police on July 27.

Senior superintendent of police Manzil Saini said: 'The victim has met me. A case has been registered under Section 376 of the IPC. The accused would be arrested soon.'

Rising incidents of crime in Uttar Pradesh, especially against women, have tarnished the reputation of CM Akhilesh Yadav and his government

Horrific: It comes two weeks after a young woman (whose face we have blurred to protect her identity) was allegedly gang-raped and then set on fire in Etawah, the hometown of UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav (left)

The victim's elder brother alleged the decision that led to the incident was taken under the active supervision of the panchayat.

'Police gave time to the accused to flee the village. The husband of the panchayat chief was also present when the fate of my sister was decided. He was very vocal and wanted the harshest punishment for us,' he said.

The panchayat head confirmed its decision to Mail Today. He claimed he had asked them to reach an amicable solution.

Sexual violence against women in India has triggered nationwide protests and law changes

Further protests led by poet Sankha Ghosh hit the streets of Kolkata in June to campaign against the gang-rape and murder of a college student in Kamduni village

It is the latest of a string of appalling rape cases that have sent shockwaves through India in recent months, raised questions across the international community over the treatment of women in the country and led to a swift overhaul of sexual assault laws.

It comes two weeks after a 20-year-old college student was gang-raped and set on fire in Etawah, in Uttar Pradesh, the hometown of the region's Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.

In that case, shockingly, the police not only initially refused to register a case but also appeared to have abdicated their responsibility to maintain law and order.

The police brass expressed helplessness in curbing the rising incidents of rape in the state, which recorded 126 such assaults in the second week of July alone. In 20 of those cases, the victims were killed. More recent figures are as yet unavailable.

Piyush Srivastava

Thursday 31 October 2013