Commentary on India’s “Revenge Rape Scandal”

In the past few weeks, there has been an explosion of articles coming from India concerning the “revenge rape” of two young Indian girls. In the initial story, a young man living in rural India and a member of the “untouchable class” had eloped with a married woman from a higher caste. In response, the Khap Panchaya, the all-male council of the village, decreed that the man’s sisters, ages 15 and 23, should be raped to “avenge” the misconduct of their brother. Luckily, the family managed to escape from their village and contacted the media, leading to an outpouring of outrage at this perceived injustice. Western media sources reported that the situation of India’s girls is “worse off than ever.” Amnesty International even received over 250,000 signatures defending the family and asking for justice on their behalf. However, in recent days, new evidence has raised doubts about the allegations of “revenge rape.” The family’s lawyer admitted that he has not gone to the village nor spoken with any members of the council. In addition, the council has been confirmed to be 80% female and  has denied that it made such an order. Bala Devi, the head of the council and a woman, said that “there was no meeting … we spend our time discussing mundane thing like fixing roads.” Even the family itself was unsure on the ruling and the girls’ father based their decision to leave on village gossip. In subsequent interviews, Reuters recorded conflicting reports of the situation and found no evidence that the “revenge rape” decision was ever handed down.

The significant factual inaccuracies in the story highlight the sensationalist attitude of Western media sources that ultimately hurt the advancement of women in India.  The “revenge rape” scandal became so widespread not only because it was horrific, but also because it fit into the narrative of India’s poor treatment of women. And to be clear, India’s historical treatment of women has been horrendous, as documented by the New Delhi gang rape case in 2012, the frequent harassment of women, and continued gender inequality. But having these cases, like the “revenge rape” scandal, become major news before the truth of their claims is verified does nothing for the women in India. In fact, having these cases with significant factual gaps will damage the progress made by women in India by casting doubt on any future allegations they may make.