7 arrested in gang rape case in India

In this Friday, Jan. 3, 2014 file photo, activists of Indian National Congress with black bands around their mouths block traffic during a protest against a gang rape and murder of a 16-year-old girl at Madhyamgram, about 25 kilometers (16 miles) north of Kolkata in West Bengal, India. AP

KOLKATA, India — Police say they have arrested seven people for allegedly raping a co-worker’s wife and aunt in India’s West Bengal state.

A rash of rapes in India has sparked widespread outrage over chronic sexual violence and government failures to protect women.

Police officer Sanjay Singh says the seven suspects were detained Wednesday within hours of the crime on Tuesday night in Mukti Rachak, a village 25 miles (40 kilometers) north of Kolkata.

The man’s 28-year-old wife and 40-year-old aunt were also cut by blades, and were in stable condition a local hospital, Singh said Thursday.

Last month, police said a West Bengal council of elders ordered the gang rape of a 20-year-old woman as punishment for a love affair with a Muslim man who was not from her tribe.

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