I’ve been following the twists and turns of this story for a day or two now and this is the latest and sanest version so far. From the BBC “Father-in-law arrested for rape” with thanks to all who sent in the various headlines.
Police in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh have arrested a man accused of raping his daughter-in-law.
The arrest follows reports that a Muslim council of community elders had ordered the victim to marry her father-in-law.
That’s her father-in-law, the rapist, folks. Just in case you missed it.
But the order was criticised by a top Muslim body which said it was not valid under Sharia (Islamic) law.
It said the council was not authorised to give such a verdict and added that the alleged rapist should be punished.
Senior superintendent of police in the town of Chatarwal, where the incident took place, told The Indian Express newspaper that the alleged rapist was being questioned.
The 28-year-old victim is said to have been raped when she was alone at home.
Under the Sharia law… if her father-in-law has raped her, he should be sentenced to death
When the incident came to the notice of the council, it ordered that she marry her father-in-law and change her relationship with her husband to that between a mother and son.
It also ordered her to leave her home and stay away for seven month and 10 days to become “pure”…
Then, if that weren’t enough, minutes before he was sentenced to life in prison, the father-in-law rapist proposed to his daughter-in-law to save her from the “stigma of rape,” and maybe also to reduce his sentence. She rejected him.