--- title: Photos: India Rape and Hanging Shocks Village description: These disturbing photos show scenes in India following the rape and killing of two teenage girls canonical: https://time.com/2811636/india-rape-hanging-photos/ author: TIME Photo article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-06-02T19:28:59.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:08:19.323Z article:section: World og:title: Photos: Indian Village Shocked By Brutal Rape and Murder Case og:description: These disturbing photos show scenes in India following the rape and killing of two teenage girls og:url: https://time.com/2811636/india-rape-hanging-photos/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Photos: Indian Village Shocked By Brutal Rape and Murder Case twitter:description: These disturbing photos show scenes in India following the rape and killing of two teenage girls twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Photos: Indian Village Shocked By Brutal Rape and Murder Case by [TIME Photo](/author/time-photo/) ## TIME Photo Jun 2, 2014 7:28 PM CUT by [TIME Photo](/author/time-photo/) ## TIME Photo Jun 2, 2014 7:28 PM CUT The specter of sexual violence continues to haunt India. A year and a half after the gang rape and murder of a student aboard a New Delhi bus sparked nationwide street protests, once again the nation is confronting a similar act of evil. Last Wednesday, two sisters were found hanging from a mango tree after they had been gang-raped and strangled in a field near their home in rural Uttar Pradesh. The girls, apparently aged 14 and 15, had been looking for somewhere to relieve themselves as there was no toilet at home — a predicament they shared with nearly half of India’s 1.2 billion population. Hundreds of angry villagers stayed next to the tree throughout the evening, silently protesting the lackluster police response. Officials, who allegedly shrugged off initial reports of the teenagers’ disappearance, have now detained five people in connection with the attack, including two policemen. Nevertheless, protests [continued](http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-27659446 "undefined") outside the office of the state’s chief minister, Akhilesh Yadav, on Monday, only to be dispersed with water cannons. Demonstrators claim that the girls were targeted as they were _dalits_ — or “untouchables,” India’s lowest caste — and that their status also lay behind the muted police response. Whether caste was a contributing factor has yet to be determined. What is undeniable, however, is that India is in the throes of a seeming rape epidemic, with almost daily reported occurrences of assaults against women, girls and even babies. In the countryside, village elders have been known to mete out rape as punishment for females they deem to be going against their traditions. Amid the most recent uproar in Uttar Pradesh, a 22-year-old was [found](http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/in-up-woman-allegedly-gang-raped-forced-to-drink-acid-then-strangled-to-death-534627 "undefined") gang-raped and murdered in the Baheri area. She had been forced to drink acid before being strangled, a post-mortem revealed. And on Saturday, a youth allegedly [attempted](http://www.outlookindia.com/news/article/Youth-Attempts-to-Rape-Woman-Priest-in-a-Temple-in-UP/842861 "undefined") to rape a female priest inside one of the state’s temples. New Indian Prime Minsiter Narendra Modi was taciturn about sexual violence during his recent triumphant election campaign. That certainly cannot remain the case much longer.—_Charlie Campbell_  Sohan Lal (55) holds passport sized images in his hands of his daughter Murti (right) and niece Pushpa (left) in Katra Sadatganj village, Uttar Pradesh, India on May 30, 2014. Simon de Trey-White—Eyevine/Redux  The grove of mango trees where the two girls were hanged by mainly male villagers and media in Katra Sadatganj village, Uttar Pradesh, India on May 30, 2014. Simon de Trey-White—Eyevine/Redux  Sohan Lal (55) father of raped and murdered daughter Murti weeps and is comforted by his mother Ramkali in Katra Sadatganj village, Uttar Pradesh, India on May 30, 2014. Simon de Trey-White—Eyevine/Redux  Villagers and media throng the home of the teenage girls raped and murdered in Katra Sadatganj village, Uttar Pradesh, India on May 30, 2014. Simon de Trey-White—Eyevine/Redux  Sridevi (40) mother of the victim Murti in Katra Sadatganj village, Uttar Pradesh, India on May 30, 2014. Simon de Trey-White—Eyevine/Redux  Mira (right, holding daughter) speaks about the victims in Katra Sadatganj village, Uttar Pradesh, India on May 30, 2014. Simon de Trey-White—Eyevine/Redux  A view of the locked farmhouse of the three brothers (Avadesh, Urvesh and Pappu Yadav) accused in the rape and murder of two teenage girls in Katra Sadatganj village, Uttar Pradesh, India on May 30, 2014. Simon de Trey-White—Eyevine/Redux  Villagers stand by the mango tree from which the two girls were hanged in Katra Sadatganj village, Uttar Pradesh, India on May 30, 2014. Simon de Trey-White—Eyevine/Redux  A fan made by Pushpa, gang-raped and murdered in Katra Sadatganj village, bears her name in her own writing (upper right) in Katra Sadatganj village, Uttar Pradesh, India on May 30, 2014. 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