by B. R. GOWANI
The mother of the rape victim cries as she offers floral tribute to her daughter. PHOTO/EPA/South China Morning Post
originally from Bihar
she and her parents settled in West Bengal
her love of education forced her
to move with her mother to a big city
they joined her dad, a taxi driver
just five months in Kolkata
in October, she was gang raped
by Chhotu Talukdar and his friends
they then dumped her in a field
she succeeded in filing the FIR
so they kidnapped and violated her again
(to teach a lesson for informing the police)
then left her at a railway station
due to threats, they changed residence
but the new landlady knew Talukdar indirectly
ironies and nightmares, like a shadow, refuses
to part company with the wretched of the earth
immense pressure was exerted on this 16-year-old
to come to senses and withdraw the case
“But how could I keep such torture under wraps?
Look at the bruises on my body?
They might heal but what about the mental scars?
My dignity has been outraged.
I will ensure that my perpetrators are punished.
Only justice will heal my pain to some extent.”
they taught her another lesson
almost two months after her nightmare had begun
with 40% burns she ended up in a hospital
the landlady’s son and another youth
wanted to burn her to death, they succeeded
she didn’t survive to see 2014, in eight days
on New Year’s eve, she breathed her last
for her, the end was not an end
it was the beginning of another hell
(similar to that of “Damini“)
her still body was dreaming of eternal peace
but that was not to be for sometime
the hearse with her body was hijacked by police
couldn’t cremate without the death certificate
so in the dead of night they banged the door
and demanded death certificate from her father
he refused, so the police told him:
go back to Bihar’s Samastipur
she came to Kolkata to get educated
and in just 67 days, she got her PhD
the lessons learned:
after every publicized rape
the celebrities make noises
then they go back in their glamor world
the politicians promises strict laws
but fail to protect women or give justice
rape victim is nothing but a game
to be exploited by most of the politicians
there is no safety or security for women
in the “largest democracy” on earth
nothing has changed, nothing will change
unless sexist culture and macho mentality is changed
B. R. Gowani can be reached at brgowani@hotmail.com