Gang rape protester turns victim, claims rape
19 Dec 2013 5:20 AM IST
In what could be termed as one of the cruelest ironies, a girl from the north-east, who raised her voice along with thousands of protesters at Raisina Hills on 22-23 December, demanding justice in the 16 December gang rape case, herself became a rape victim. What makes the story even more tragic is that the girl, under pressure from the accused’s friends and the NGO where she was working, didn’t put up a fight.
Though the girl had not lodged an FIR till late on Tuesday evening, she has recorded her testimony in front of an activist. Delhi police chief is reportedly aware of the case, but has not been able to initiate any action as the victim remains untraceable. The National Commission for Women has received a video which shows the victim narrating her ordeal.
Sources said that the victim also underwent a medical examination in a hospital in Haryana.
After the demonstration, the female protester had also come under the spotlight after a Delhi police constable died due to a heart attack while trying to control the agitators. Following the incident, she had become a popular face. After completing her studies from Delhi University she got associated with an NGO in Green Park Extension of south Delhi.
While working with the NGO, she came in touch with the executive director, name withheld, of a well-known International NGO in Delhi. The two soon became friends.
In early September, the executive director invited the girl over for dinner to his residence in Lajpat Nagar. The girl in her testimony has claimed that the two consumed liquor after having dinner. She has gone on to say that while consuming the drinks she got suspicious that the drinks were laced with sedatives. The sedatives, she has alleged, had by then starting showing their effect and she fell unconscious.
The victim has said that she regained consciousness next morning and found herself in the accused’s bedroom. She also alleged that while she tried to recall the previous night’s events, she realized she had been raped by the executive director.
Meanwhile, just when the girl was about to leave the residence of the accused, few friends of the accused who are also members of the NGO, where the victim was working, reached the house. The girl has said that when she told them about what had happened they asked her to keep mum. She alleged that they did not allow her to go for a medical test and washed the clothes that she was wearing that day.
In a testimony recorded in front of Madhu Kishwar, a social activist, the victim narrated the incident and told Kishwar that the friends forced her to not approach the police station on the pretext that any criminal case against the executive will ruin the image of the NGO she was working for and the accused will stop funding the organisation.
‘Therefore, I preferred not to register any case against the rapist,’ she has said in her testimony now in possession with NCW.
Kishwar had reportedly contacted NCW member Nirmala Sawant after meeting the victim. Kishwar showed Sawant the recorded testimony last week and gave the latter a copy of the CD containing the victim’s version.
According to the sources, the victim after approaching Kishwar went to her hometown in Arunachal Pradesh. Since then she hasn’t returned to Delhi. Her mobile phone is also switched off.
Speaking to Millennium Post Sawant said, ‘After watching the testimony, I was shocked as she is the same girl who actively participated in the protest against the 16 December rape. And now she has become the victim.’
‘Soon after watching the CD, I wrote a mail to BS Bassi (Delhi police chief). He promised that he will investigate the case,’ Sawant added.
Bassi, however, remained unavailable for comment despite repeated calls made to him by Millennium Post.
Though the girl had not lodged an FIR till late on Tuesday evening, she has recorded her testimony in front of an activist. Delhi police chief is reportedly aware of the case, but has not been able to initiate any action as the victim remains untraceable. The National Commission for Women has received a video which shows the victim narrating her ordeal.
Sources said that the victim also underwent a medical examination in a hospital in Haryana.
After the demonstration, the female protester had also come under the spotlight after a Delhi police constable died due to a heart attack while trying to control the agitators. Following the incident, she had become a popular face. After completing her studies from Delhi University she got associated with an NGO in Green Park Extension of south Delhi.
While working with the NGO, she came in touch with the executive director, name withheld, of a well-known International NGO in Delhi. The two soon became friends.
In early September, the executive director invited the girl over for dinner to his residence in Lajpat Nagar. The girl in her testimony has claimed that the two consumed liquor after having dinner. She has gone on to say that while consuming the drinks she got suspicious that the drinks were laced with sedatives. The sedatives, she has alleged, had by then starting showing their effect and she fell unconscious.
The victim has said that she regained consciousness next morning and found herself in the accused’s bedroom. She also alleged that while she tried to recall the previous night’s events, she realized she had been raped by the executive director.
Meanwhile, just when the girl was about to leave the residence of the accused, few friends of the accused who are also members of the NGO, where the victim was working, reached the house. The girl has said that when she told them about what had happened they asked her to keep mum. She alleged that they did not allow her to go for a medical test and washed the clothes that she was wearing that day.
In a testimony recorded in front of Madhu Kishwar, a social activist, the victim narrated the incident and told Kishwar that the friends forced her to not approach the police station on the pretext that any criminal case against the executive will ruin the image of the NGO she was working for and the accused will stop funding the organisation.
‘Therefore, I preferred not to register any case against the rapist,’ she has said in her testimony now in possession with NCW.
Kishwar had reportedly contacted NCW member Nirmala Sawant after meeting the victim. Kishwar showed Sawant the recorded testimony last week and gave the latter a copy of the CD containing the victim’s version.
According to the sources, the victim after approaching Kishwar went to her hometown in Arunachal Pradesh. Since then she hasn’t returned to Delhi. Her mobile phone is also switched off.
Speaking to Millennium Post Sawant said, ‘After watching the testimony, I was shocked as she is the same girl who actively participated in the protest against the 16 December rape. And now she has become the victim.’
‘Soon after watching the CD, I wrote a mail to BS Bassi (Delhi police chief). He promised that he will investigate the case,’ Sawant added.
Bassi, however, remained unavailable for comment despite repeated calls made to him by Millennium Post.
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