JINHA

NEWS CENTER - After widespread outrage about the decision of a village men's council to have two women raped as punishment for their brother's action, the village council is facing charges.

In the village of Sankrot, in India's Uttar Pradesh state, on July 30, an all-male village council ordered that two young Dalit women (one just 15) be raped. The order was declared a punishment after their older brother eloping with a woman from a higher caste. The male village councils are technically illegal in India, but continue to function.

Dalit women face prejudice and often sexual terror in India. 23-year-old Meenakshi Kumari and her 15-year-old sister fled to a women's rights group after the decision. Women in India protested the decision. More than 100,000 people from around the world signed a petition denouncing it. Now, the Indian Supreme Court has ordered the arrest of the male council members who made the decision.

(cm/