KOLKATA, India — Police in India's West Bengal state say a young woman has been gang raped on the orders of a village council because she fell in love with a man from a different religion.
Police official C. Sudhakar said Thursday that 13 men have been arrested.
A rash of rapes in India over the past year has sparked widespread outrage over chronic sexual violence in India and government failures to protect women.
The West Bengal case is particularly troubling because the alleged rape apparently was sanctioned by a council made up of village elders. Such councils are not legally binding in India, but they are seen as the will of the local community. Those who flout the councils risk being ostracized.
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