What happens when your brother runs away with a married woman from a higher social caste? In the case of the Baghpat district in northern India’s Uttar Pradeshin state, village elders will probably order the sibling(s) to be gang-raped then paraded around the town naked with blackened face.

An unelected, all-male council has passed such a ruling against the man’s sisters, 23-year-old Meenakshi Kumari and her unnamed 15-year-old sister, as punishment for their brother’s running away with a married woman from the village’s dominant Jat caste.

The sisters and their whole family, who are all from the lower Dalit caste, have since fled the village over fears of their safety, leaving their home at the mercy of looters.

“Nothing could justify this abhorrent punishment. It’s not fair. It’s not right. And it’s against the law. Demand that the local authorities intervene immediately,” said Amnesty International.

The human rights group has called on Indian authorities to guarantee the sisters’ safety and has also launched an online petition, already signed by over 100,000 people, aimed at stopping the execution of ruling. The older sister has also reportedly filed a petition with India’s Supreme Court requesting safe passage back to their village. (…)