I hope you have heard of the incident that took place a year before on 16 Dec’12. It was the first month of our marriage. We were new in Delhi. We had gone for dining and by the time we were done it was late. It was our first week there, we had no means of conveyance of our own. It was around 10 only but still we could not find an auto. Fatigued of waiting we decided to embark on a bus that was parked there since last 10 minutes. The handyman,a short guy in his late 30s had a look that would have made anybody suspicious about him. Nonetheless devoid of options we had to board.
There were 4-5 people in the bus. Few minutes after the bus set off, the driver maneuvered it to a low density area. Before we could react one of them approached us and threatened Rajat to get down from the bus. Rajat argued and asked him to stop the bus. He did not listen. A fight broke. Amidst the chaos Rajat hit that handyman. They got furious. They started punching Rajat. I tried to intervene but one of them dragged me near the last seat of the bus and started misbehaving with me. I retaliated but soon he overcame me and next what he did to me changed my life forever.
He raped me.
I was lying, not undead but still I couldn’t tackle him. Two of them were still beating Rajat. I could hear him screech, the decibel dwindling as seconds tickled and then there was a silence. I didn’t hear him shriek again.
One by one they came and raped me till there was nothing left for them to prey upon. After an hour of circumventing they threw us beside an under-construction bridge. I was still not senseless. I could see people passing by.
Nobody stopped.
This is all I remember. Next time when I woke up I was in a hospital. I saw my dad. I couldn’t gauge anything much. But I could feel the pain and then somebody gave me an injection that dozed me off again. Next time I woke up I could see my family, everybody was there but Rajat was not. I could not see him. I asked them about him, my mom hugged me and started crying. He was no more. He was dead. He was killed because of me.
Few days of struggle and then I gave up too.
Today on 16 Dec’13, exactly an year after I can see them alive there with you all. Yes, they are still living. Although they are jailed but confining-is this your justice? After their heinous deeds how come they still continue to live and I am dead. They murdered me and my husband and still they get to live. I don’t trust this judicial system. You say yours is the largest democracy in the world but you don’t have a magnanimous judiciary.
Just giving them a death sentence isn’t enough. They should have been hanged by now. Via this letter I request you all on behalf of me and several such victims to step some stones and upgrade our system. What is happening to my family should not happen to others: myriad court sessions and countless proceedings, which slays them each day. Have you ever imagined how hard it would be for the close ones to come in the courtroom with a ray of hope and then watch it being thrashed with each procrastinated session.The entire court proceedings should be expedited. Once the culprits are inculpated, they should be punished without any further delay. They should be given one of the most egregious punishment imaginable that should suffice as harbinger for others who dare to commit such a grievous crime. No human rights violation should be considered for them for they are the ones who have bereaved a human from her rights: her right to live, her right to freedom and her right to dignity.
Why is it that in our country after a girl is raped only she has to suffer the ignominy! She is shunned from the society but the guy who commits the act continues to dwell as if nothing happened. Why isn’t his family ostracized? Aren’t they the ones supposed to be ashamed of what their lad did!
It is high time for you all to mull over your attitude towards the raped and the rapists. They are the ones who have committed a crime not the poor girl who has suffered their wrath.