NEW DELHI – Two Indian women were allegedly gang-raped in Indian Haryana state, after the attackers accused them of eating beef because they were Muslim.
The woman, 20, told the media that four men brutally raped her and her 14-year-old cousin two weeks ago, even though they had denied consuming beef.
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The attackers also beat her uncle and aunt to death in their home in Mewat, a Muslim dominated district, she told NDTV.
The state government has recommended that the Central bureau of Investigation probe the case.
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The Haryana police had arrested four men in their 30s from the village and initially booked them for rape and trespass. Murder charges were added only when the locals protested.
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Although the alleged rape took place two weeks ago, news of the incident has only just come out.
“They [the accused men] said that we ate cow meat and that is why we were being disgraced [raped]. They even threatened to kill me and my family if we ever told anybody what happened to us,” the woman said in presence of activist Shabnam Hashmi in Delhi.
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Many Hindus consider cows sacred and the slaughter of the animal is banned in several states, including Haryana.
Cow slaughter is illegal in the northern state along with sale and storage of beef. It is punishable by a 10-year jail term and/or fine of Rs0.1 to 0.5 million.
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Mewat district, located 100km (62 miles) from the Indian capital Delhi, recently made headlines after a senior official told reporters that police would check dishes of mutton biryani to ensure they do not contain beef.
The district has seen communal riots in the past. Rape and gender crimes have been in the spotlight in India in recent years after the brutal gang rape and murder of a student in 2012 in Delhi.
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In response, tough new anti-rape laws were introduced in the country. However, brutal sexual attacks against women and children continue to be reported across the country.
