On 16 September the Supreme Court of India ordered the Delhi Police to provide 23-year-old Meenakshi Kumari, her 15-year-old sister, and the rest of their family with
protection, as they are currently living in Delhi and are fearful of
returning to their village. Although the family do not yet feel it is
safe to return to their village, the Supreme Court decision is a
positive development and they are very grateful for all those that took
action on their behalf.
On 24 May, the
family fled their village in Baghpat district fearing violence after
their brother eloped with a married woman from a Jat (dominant caste)
family. On 30 May, their house in the village was ransacked. On 30 July,
members of a village khap panchayat– an unelected all-male village
council - ordered that Meenakshi Kumari and her sister be raped and
paraded naked, with their faces blackened, as punishment for the actions
of their brother.
