Index: test/tools/llvm-objcopy/ELF/strip-section-err.test
===================================================================
--- /dev/null
+++ test/tools/llvm-objcopy/ELF/strip-section-err.test
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+# RUN: yaml2obj %s > %t
+# RUN: not llvm-objcopy -R .data %t 2>&1 | FileCheck %s
+
+## Check we cannot remove the section .data because it
+## is referenced by relocations contained in the object.
+
+# CHECK: error: Section .data cannot be removed because it is referenced by the relocation section .rela.text.
+ 
+--- !ELF
+FileHeader:      
+  Class:           ELFCLASS64
+  Data:            ELFDATA2LSB
+  Type:            ET_REL
+  Machine:         EM_X86_64
+Sections:        
+  - Name:            .text
+    Type:            SHT_PROGBITS
+    Flags:           [ SHF_ALLOC, SHF_EXECINSTR ]
+    AddressAlign:    0x0000000000000004
+    Content:         E800000000
+  - Name:            .rela.text
+    Type:            SHT_RELA
+    Link:            .symtab
+    AddressAlign:    0x0000000000000008
+    EntSize:         0x0000000000000018
+    Info:            .text
+    Relocations:     
+      - Offset:          0x0000000000000001
+        Symbol:          foo
+        Type:            R_X86_64_GOTPCREL
+        Addend:          -4
+  - Name:            .data
+    Type:            SHT_PROGBITS
+    Flags:           [ SHF_WRITE, SHF_ALLOC ]
+    AddressAlign:    0x0000000000000001
+    Content:         '0102'
+Symbols:         
+  Local:           
+    - Name:            foo
+      Section:         .data
+      Value:           0x0000000000000001
+DynamicSymbols:  {}
+...
Index: tools/llvm-objcopy/ELF/Object.h
===================================================================
--- tools/llvm-objcopy/ELF/Object.h
+++ tools/llvm-objcopy/ELF/Object.h
@@ -570,15 +570,14 @@
 // that code between the two symbol table types.
 template <class SymTabType>
 class RelocSectionWithSymtabBase : public RelocationSectionBase {
-  SymTabType *Symbols = nullptr;
   void setSymTab(SymTabType *SymTab) { Symbols = SymTab; }
 
 protected:
   RelocSectionWithSymtabBase() = default;
 
+  SymTabType *Symbols = nullptr;
+
 public:
-  Error removeSectionReferences(
-      function_ref<bool(const SectionBase *)> ToRemove) override;
   void initialize(SectionTableRef SecTable) override;
   void finalize() override;
 };
@@ -593,6 +592,8 @@
   void addRelocation(Relocation Rel) { Relocations.push_back(Rel); }
   void accept(SectionVisitor &Visitor) const override;
   void accept(MutableSectionVisitor &Visitor) override;
+  Error removeSectionReferences(
+      function_ref<bool(const SectionBase *)> ToRemove) override;
   Error removeSymbols(function_ref<bool(const Symbol &)> ToRemove) override;
   void markSymbols() override;
 
Index: tools/llvm-objcopy/ELF/Object.cpp
===================================================================
--- tools/llvm-objcopy/ELF/Object.cpp
+++ tools/llvm-objcopy/ELF/Object.cpp
@@ -546,14 +546,23 @@
   Visitor.visit(*this);
 }
 
-template <class SymTabType>
-Error RelocSectionWithSymtabBase<SymTabType>::removeSectionReferences(
+Error RelocationSection::removeSectionReferences(
     function_ref<bool(const SectionBase *)> ToRemove) {
   if (ToRemove(Symbols))
     return createStringError(llvm::errc::invalid_argument,
                              "Symbol table %s cannot be removed because it is "
                              "referenced by the relocation section %s.",
                              Symbols->Name.data(), this->Name.data());
+
+  for (const Relocation &R : Relocations)
+    if (R.RelocSymbol && R.RelocSymbol->DefinedIn &&
+        ToRemove(R.RelocSymbol->DefinedIn))
+      return createStringError(llvm::errc::invalid_argument,
+                               "Section %s cannot be removed because it is "
+                               "referenced by the relocation section %s.",
+                               R.RelocSymbol->DefinedIn->Name.data(),
+                               this->Name.data());
+
   return Error::success();
 }
 
@@ -1361,12 +1370,20 @@
       Segment->removeSection(RemoveSec.get());
     RemoveSections.insert(RemoveSec.get());
   }
-  for (auto &KeepSec : make_range(std::begin(Sections), Iter))
+
+  // For each section that remains alive, we want to remove the dead references.
+  // This either might update the content of the section (e.g.remove symbols
+  // from symbol table that belongs to removed section) or trigger an error if
+  // alive section critically depends on a section being removed somehow
+  // (e.g.removed section is referenced by a relocation).
+  for (auto &KeepSec : make_range(std::begin(Sections), Iter)) {
     if (Error E = KeepSec->removeSectionReferences(
             [&RemoveSections](const SectionBase *Sec) {
               return RemoveSections.find(Sec) != RemoveSections.end();
             }))
       return E;
+  }
+
   // Now finally get rid of them all togethor.
   Sections.erase(Iter, std::end(Sections));
   return Error::success();