A 20-year-old woman in India is recovering in the hospital after being raped by at least 10 members of a kangaroo court in a Birbhum village as punishment for having an affair with a young man from another community.
The assault, which occurred Monday and carried over into Tuesday morning, left the woman in critical condition in the hospital. A group of tribal men found the woman sitting with her lover, who is from Chowhatta village. They dragged both of them to the village and a kangaroo court (a mock court in which the principles of law and justice are disregarded) was assembled under the tribal chieftain. They then brutalized the woman.
According to the Times of India, her alleged rapists tried to keep her from even reaching the hospital. The accused, 13 including the village headman, have been arrested. The girl’s boyfriend has also been arrested.
TOI spoke to the girl in Suri Hospital on Wednesday evening. Although in severe pain, she feebly said: “I had an affair with a man. We were dragged to a gathering where our community-headman was present. They told me to pay Rs 50,000. When I said I couldn’t, they brutalized me.” A doctor said she was alive “only because she is a tough tribal girl.”
Her mother said: “The crime was committed by our own people. They tortured my daughter and dumped her home late at night. We were threatened not to go to police. We tried to go to Bolpur hospital, but they stopped us.”
The rapists forced the family to stay indoors all of Tuesday. On Wednesday, the family slipped out and took the woman to a health center. She was then transferred to a hospital in Suri, where she is currently recovering.
Police say the incident will be investigated. Our prayers are with her at this time.
SOURCE: Times of India | VIDEO SOURCE: News, Inc.
