Two women, widows, reportedly in a same-sex lesbian relationship, were bludgeoned, battered, and beaten to death by the relatives of one in a reported honor killing, while hundreds of their fellow villagers looked on. No one came to the aid of the two women, who lived in the Ranila village of Haryana, India.

“We have killed them as they were spoiling the image of our family and bringing a bad name to our community. It was necessary to save the honor of our family,” one of the confessed murderers told police.

Police stated, “The accused were suspicious about the women’ character and had also threatened the villagers of dire consequences if anyone dared to save them,” adding that one of the men “is already a convict in a rape case and he was out of jail on parole.” The women, who bled to death as the villagers watched, were accused of being lesbians.

“The bodies were lying unattended in the open and nobody had touched them till the arrival of police,” said police.

The victims were 35, the mother of an eight-year-old girl, and 40, the mother of a 15-year-old boy, according to a report.

In an unrelated case, India’s Supreme court termed honor killings “barbaric and shameful” today.

“We are of the opinion that this is wholly illegal and has to be ruthlessly stamped out. There is nothing honorable in honor killing or other atrocities and, in fact, it is nothing but barbaric and shameful murder,” India Supreme Court Justice Katju said. “Other atrocities in respect of personal lives of people committed by brutal, feudal-minded persons deserve harsh punishment.”

Honor killings have reportedly been on the rise in parts of India.

Last month in India, a father was arrested for strangling to death then cremating his 16-year old daughter in an honor killing, the day after she married a 27-year old man.