As the country takes to the streets in justified fury over the horrific rape and murder of a 31-year-old woman doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9, 2024, two recent cases of rape involving minor Dalit girls in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have been met with a deafening silence. These brutal crimes, reported after the Kolkata tragedy, have failed to ignite the same level of public outrage.

This glaring disparity forces us to confront a disturbing truth: Where is the outrage when the victims are Dalit women? Why is their suffering met with indifference? This is a shameful reflection of how deeply entrenched casteism and discrimination remain in our society.

Bihar: Minor Dalit girl abducted, gang-raped and killed

An unprecedented low in Bihar’s deteriorating law and order situation was reportedly reached when a 14-year-old Dalit girl was kidnapped from her home, gang-raped, and killed in the Muzaffarpur district. The girl, a Class IX dropout, was forcibly taken away on the night of August 11 from her house in Paroo police station area in the presence of her parents. On the morning of August 12, a Monday, her body was discovered in a pond, partially nude. Her body was covered in several wounds and bloodstains, and she had her mouth taped shut.

Speaking to the media, the girl’s mother spoke about the incident by stating “Five persons, including a person called Sanjay Rai, abducted my daughter on Sunday night threatening to rape her. We could do nothing out of fear. We found her body next morning in a pond outside our village”. The mother of the minor deceased girl said that accused Rai, who was already married, had been harassing her daughter to get married to him. “He threatened to kill her when we refused,” she said.

Satyahindi.com carried reports of the murder-rape in Muzaffarpur rightly focussing on it along with the Bengal crime.

A 14-year-old #Dalit girl was allegedly abducted from her house, gang-raped and killed in #Muzaffarpur district, marking a new low in the deteriorating law and order situation in #Bihar.

The girl, a Class IX dropout, was forcibly taken away on Sunday night from her house in… pic.twitter.com/TagrRklWUk

— Hate Detector (@HateDetectors) August 15, 2024

The enraged locals have threatened to stage a protest at the Paroo police station and use road blockades in the event that the offenders are not apprehended promptly. As per the information provided on social media, an FIR has been registered against the five accused. As per the media coverage, Muzaffarpur senior superintendent of police Rakesh Kumar has stated that “Injuries from a sharp weapon have been found on the dead girl’s neck, head and palms. We have collected evidence with the help of a forensic team and the dog squad. A khurpi (small gardening spade) used in the murder has been recovered. Raids are being conducted to arrest the accused”. The police said they would not be able to confirm the gang rape till they received the post-mortem report.

It is essential to note that no mainstream media has covered this news.

Minor Dalit girl raped by government official

On August 12, a 57-year-old government official was arrested for allegedly raping a 6-year-old Dalit girl in her home in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh. The accused, Gajendra Singh, who served as an Agriculture Development Officer, has been arrested and suspended from his position.

The rape has been alleged to have taken place when the parents of the victims were not at home. The accused took advantage of the absence of adults, and allegedly entered the victim’s home while she was playing with a neighbour’s child. The neighbour’s child recorded the horrific act on their mobile phone. As per a report of Maktoob Media, the victim’s father, who is a Dalit farmer, narrated the incident by providing that “My daughter, who opened the door, told him not to come in as there was no one else in the house. The kid goat was tied to a pole. The incident took place around 5 pm. Singh had visited our house previously for work. On Monday, he didn’t listen to my daughter and instead sat down on the charpai.”

The Dalit farmer “My daughter will never be able to live a normal life now? He (accused) should be given the strictest punishment,” he added.

A complaint was filed with the police the following morning. The accused is charged with sexually assaulting the minor girl and then engaging in bestiality with a goat on the property. According to police, Singh has been charged under several serious laws based on the complaint filed. These include the SC/ST Atrocities Prevention Act, the POCSO Act, Section 65(2) of the Indian Penal Code (Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita), and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.

After the incident came to light, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, took serious cognizance of the matter and accused official has been suspended, and a departmental inquiry has been initiated. Additionally, the state government has announced financial assistance of 8.25 lakh for the victim’s family under various schemes.

The Maktoob Media report states that the Chief Minister has directed the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Bulandshahr and the District Magistrate to visit the village, offer support to the victim’s family, and oversee the investigation.

It is crucial to note that the victim is currently stable and undergoing medical examinations. Speaking to the media, the Senior Superintendent of Police, Shlok Kumar, has confirmed the arrest of the accused and stated that a thorough investigation is underway.

No outrage on sexual violence against Dalit women?

Violence against Dalit women often remain underreported in mainstream media due to deeply entrenched caste biases and systemic discrimination in society. The media in India, which is often dominated by upper-caste narratives, tends to marginalise issues affecting the Dalit community. This bias is compounded by a lack of representation of Dalits in media organisations, which leads to a skewed focus on issues affecting more privileged groups. As a result, the horrific violence faced by Dalit women is frequently overlooked or minimised, failing to receive the attention it deserves. This exclusion from mainstream discourse perpetuates their vulnerability and invisibility.

The absence of widespread protests against violence targeting Dalit women is closely tied to the caste-based social hierarchy that continues to shape societal responses to injustice. In many cases, the dominant caste groups have significant influence over political and social institutions, including law enforcement, which discourages or suppresses public outcry. Additionally, there is often a lack of solidarity from other marginalised groups, who might not fully recognise the intersecting oppressions faced by Dalit women. The pervasive apathy and normalisation of caste-based violence create an environment where atrocities against Dalit women are met with silence rather than the collective outrage that might be seen in cases involving more socially privileged groups.

Related:

India’s cry for justice: The brutal Kolkata rape-murder of a young doctor has ignited nationwide protests on the eve of the 78th Independence’s Day

India’s flawed rape laws: a betrayal of equality

Horrifying instances of rape in MP and Mahrashtra, accused booked under POCSO

The post Caste and Indifference: Two separate incidents of rape against minor Dalit girls in UP and Bihar receive no media coverage, protest or outrage appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The 17 year old girl was raped repeatedly by a man from her village, according to the police from Suriyawa Police Station, reports PTI.  The girl’s father last week complained at the  Suriyawa Police Station with the victim with a full-fledged written grievance against one Raju Gupta. According to details now available, the perpetrator, Raju Gupta, started visiting the child’s house whenever there was nobody at home to commit the repeat crimes.

The police have, since, arrested 26-year-old Gupta, a resident of Dudwa Dharmapuri and have filed charges of rape against him, as per SHO Ram Nagina Yadav. Charges against Gupta include rape, criminal intimidation, and  Protection Of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) as well as the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

The police had reportedly started hunting for Gupta and he was finally arrested near the Suriyawa Railway Station.

The All India Trinamool Congress has called out the BJP for the incident on their X, formerly Twitter, account, terming it as an incident in “BJP-ruled rape capital of the country.”

.@BJP4India-ruled Uttar Pradesh has earned the dubious distinction of being the RAPE CAPITAL of India.

A 17-year-old minor Dalit girl became pregnant after being raped repeatedly in UP’s Bhadohi.

Is this the definition of ‘Nari Shakti’ in the so-called Double Engine states?…

— All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) June 11, 2024

National President of the NSUI (National Students Union of India), the Congress party’s student wing, Varun Choudhury also tweeted about the incident, and asked if the government will take any “concrete steps to protect our girl children?”

Similarly, another harrowing incident of rape against a Dalit woman was reported from UP’s Ballia in March 2024. The accused also made casteist comments against her and threatened to kill her. The accused, a man named Lagandev Yadav, was reportedly arrested by the police after the rape survivor’s mother complained to the police.

According to horrifying figures, 10 Dalit women are raped everyday in India. Furthermore, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) has shown that reported cases of rape against Dalit women have risen over the years, with a 45 percent increase from 2015 to 2020.

Related:

Dalit woman dies of suspicious circumstances after brother, uncle beaten to death

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Standing Strong: CJP aids Dalit woman labelled as ‘Doubtful Citizen’

Acquittal of Babri accused, gang rape of UP Dalit woman are interlinked; have roots in the history

The post Minor Dalit raped repeatedly, crime discovered when she was visibly pregnant appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The victim’s uncle, 24 year old Rajendra Ahirwar was beaten to death, reports suggest it happened due to ‘old feuds’.

In August 2023, Sabrang India has covered how Anjana Ahirwar, who had filed an FIR stating that her brother Nitin Ahirwar was beaten and killed on August 24, 2023, by the same people who had harassed her in Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar. Her brother’s death had led to protests, including a sit-in protest by Congress leader Digvijaya Singh in Barodia Nonagir village. Her family had claimed that they had been constantly pressured and threatened to take back a complaint of harassment that the victim had reportedly filed. After she refused to take back the complaint, the attackers came to her house and beat the family, including the brother, up. Their mother was also attacked as she tried to save her son and the attackers even attempted to disrobe her. The mother had told the police that it was the Thakurs who had attacked them and they had connections to members of local governance such as the panchayat and the parshad.

Similarly, according to journalist Anil Tiwari, the accused is a BJP Leader.

Ramita Ahirawar, aged 22 (name changed), filed a case of sexual assault against Komal Singh and his associates in 2019. The accused exerted pressure on her family to retract the case. In July 2020, when the Dalit family refused to withdraw the case, Komal Singh Thakur, a BJP…

— Anil Tiwari (@Anil_Kumar_ti) May 27, 2024

According to Additional Superintendent of Police Lokesh Sinha, Anjana fell from the ambulance while carrying the body of Rajendra Ahirwar to their village after the postmortem in Sagar. Sinha has stated that an investigation is going on.

Recently, Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Digvijay Singh met with the family, and urged to the media that the district administration must be held accountable and changed, “I’m highly disappointed with the District Admin, who not only failed to protect the family but also didn’t fulfil the promises made in August 2023.” Singh also expressed sadness at her death, stating that she was an educated woman taking care of her family. Singh has claimed that the accused have been receiving political protection.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi has called out the BJP, “The people of BJP are after the Constitution because they do not want that women of the country, Dalits, tribals and backward people should live with dignity, nor their complaints heard anywhere.” The Congress party too has decried the incident and has accused the BJP of shielding the accused.

मध्य प्रदेश में BJP का जंगलराज

पहले BJP के नेताओं ने एक दलित लड़की का यौन उत्पीड़न किया और फिर उसे धमकाते रहे कि ये बात किसी से मत कहना।

डरी-सहमी लड़की ने ये बात अपने परिवार को बताई और फिर तमाम मशक्कत के बाद FIR हुई।

इसके बाद से BJP के नेता दलित परिवार पर समझौते का दबाव बनाने… pic.twitter.com/kGLFO6zmKD

— Congress (@INCIndia) May 27, 2024

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3 Communal Insta Posts by BJP taken down in Chhattisgarh, CEO issued “strong warning” to the BJP

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The child’s parents are both labourers in a factory who resided in a rented accommodation in Ghaziabad. The horrifying incident took place near her home. Her parents revealed that the girl was last seen near her home around 2 pm on that fateful day. It was also observed that she went missing only after she accepted a lift from Rana. 

The father of the victim told The Quint that initially they had just thought that she was out playing, but they grew worried as there was no sign of her till night, “I left for work in the morning, while my wife left at around 1:30 pm, taking our two-year-old son with her. My daughter was playing outside when my wife left. But later, I got a call from my neighbour that my daughter was missing. Initially, I thought she had gone to her friend’s place, but there was no sign of her till night.” The father narrated that Rana, accused of the crime, had even offered to search for her when they discovered she was missing. Following this, the child’s family contacted the police on December 12 at around 8:30 pm to report her disappearance.    

The accused, Rana, the alleged perpetrator, had been admitted to a hospital after he had had a road accident, and following this accident he confessed to the police after they questioned him.

“He told us he abducted the girl and killed her on December 12. He claimed to have dumped the body in a canal. We have been trying to retrieve it. We are checking the route he took on the day of the crime,” the DCP has stated, according to Outlook India. 

As of now the body of the  murdered victim is not found,  the Delhi police in the investigation are trying to locate the body in the canal where Rana states that he had allegedly disposed of it. The police have stated, “We are checking entire routes of the accused and the accused will be brought in to search for the victim’s body on Tuesday.” According to The Quint, divers have been deployed to survey the canal. 

Meanwhile, Swati Maliwal, the chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), has taken note of the situation and issued a notice to the station house officer of the respective area for a report on the progress of the investigation. The accused so far has been booked by the police on charges of murder, kidnapping and rape under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. 

The victim’s family and neighbours have staged a protest at GT Karnal road. The protesting family members have told The Quint, “No one should ever go through what we did. We need justice. Before that, all I want is for the police to find my daughter’s body so we can perform her last rites.”

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The post 9-year-old Dalit girl raped and murdered in Ghaziabad by 52-year-old landlord appeared first on SabrangIndia.

On May 9, as the minor girl was on her way to meet her father who was working in the farm, the accused, in their 20s, kidnapped her. The following day when the father filed a complaint, the SHO allegedly forced a compromise between the survivor and the accused, in the absence of the girl’s parents and the matter was then closed. After the case was closed, the girl’s father hanged himself from a tree and his body was found on May 17. Finally, an FIR was registered after this incident. Shukla (who was not suspended then) told TOI that the accused were Rahul, Dinesh and Rohit and they were booked under section 363 (kidnapping), 376 (rape), 342 (wrongful confinement), 120B (criminal conspiracy), 306 (abetment to suicide) as well some sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 and Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

It has been alleged by the girl’s brother that she was abducted and taken to Kichha in Uttarakhand by the accused where she was raped by one of the accused and she was threatened of dire consequences if she told the cops.

A report was filed by SP, Pilibhit, Atul Sharma against Shukla and hence he was suspended. Further a detailed inquiry has been instituted against Shukla led by Circle Officer, Dr Prateek Dahiya.

Shukla even delayed the medical examination of the survivor who was finally sent for examination on May 20. Dr Anita Chaurasia told the publication that 11 days after the incident they can only identify healed scars of injury (if any).

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Hate Watch Agra: “Upper caste” Hindus assault Dalit groom for riding a mare

Dalit History Month: A compilation of must read books about Dalit oppression, marginalisation and their resistance

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People often advise young women to take self-defense lessons, suggesting that somehow if the burden of defence is placed on the victim, somehow it gives her a better chance to “avoid” the crime, especially if the crime is a sexual offense. But what do you do if the person entrusted with the responsibility to teach you how to protect yourself abuses you? That is exactly what happened to a young Dalit girl in Varanasi.

The girl who originally hails from Sonbhadra was living with two of her friends in the Manduadih area of Varanasi. She was taking training in martial arts from one Vinod V, who hails from Khandwa as per a Times of India report. On Monday evening, during training near Surya Sarovar located on the campus of Banaras Locomotive Works, it started raining heavily. The trainer then allegedly asked the other students to leave saying he would drop the girl home.

Instead, he allegedly sexually assaulted the girl. Though initially shocked, the girl then approached a lawyer and subsequently registered a First Information Report (FIR) with the Manduadih police station. Station House Officer Rajeev Singh told the publication that the accused has now been arrested and the girl was sent for a medical examination.

This shocking incident comes just days after the bodies of two Dalit sisters were found hanging from a tree in Lakhimpur Kheri. A post mortem report had confirmed that the sisters had been sexually assaulted prior to being killed. The incident brought back memories of not one, but two similar cases where Dalit women had been raped – the 2014 Badaun rape case and the 2020 Hathras rape case. Six people have been arrested so far in connection with the Lakhimpur Kheri rape case so far.

Related:

Lakhimpur Kheri: Bodies of two sisters found hanging from a tree

Lakhimpur Kheri: Postmortem confirms Dalit sisters were raped before murder

The post Varanasi: Martial arts teacher allegedly rapes Dalit girl appeared first on SabrangIndia.

A POCSO court in Bikaner, Rajasthan has convicted all accused persons in the horrific rape of a 17-year-old Dalit girl, who was found dead at her hostel in Nokha, Bikaner in Rajasthan. The main accused Vijendra Singh (physical trainer in the institute), has been awarded the life sentence and the warden Pragya Shukla and the Principal, Priya Prateek Shukla of the Jain Adarsh Teacher Training Institute for girls have been imprisoned for 6 years.

Vijendra was already in judicial custody, and has been convicted of sections 305 (abetment of suicide of a child) 363 (punishment for kidnapping), 366 (Kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman to compel her marriage, etc.), 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code, sections 5 (aggravated penetrative sexual assault) and 6 (punishment of aggravated penetrative sexual assault) of The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012. He has also been convicted under the relevant sections of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 2012.

The warden, Pragya Shukla and the Principal, Priya Prateek Shukla (who are out on bail) have been held guilty of abetment of suicide and relevant sections of the POCSO and SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

The victim’s counsel, Bajrang Chhimpa, told SabrangIndia that the defense team tried to persuade the court to award less sentence time but he was convinced that the court would bring them to justice. He added, “There were about 34 witnesses that were examined. This hearing has taken 5 years, 6 months and 12 days.”

Background of the case

The 17-year-old Dalit girl, who was studying to be a teacher, was raped and murdered in 2016. On the morning of March 29, her body was found in the water tank of her hostel under suspicious conditions. The Nokha police officials took her body in a municipal garbage carrying vehicle (tractor) without video-graphing it.

As per the FIR filed by her parents, there were only four girls at the hostel, as all the other girls had gone home. A day before, on the evening of March 28, at 8 P.M, she had called her father and told him that her warden, Priya Shukla, had sent her to the trainer Vijendra Singh’s room, with the excuse of cleaning the hostel.

The victim’s family members had submitted a complaint to the police accusing the teacher Vijendra Singh of raping her, killing her and then discarding her body in the water tank. Thereafter, the story of the suicide was concocted in a bid to mislead the administration.

The investigating officer, Satnam Singh had alleged that they found that on the night of March 28, 2016, at around 2 A.M, the victim was found to be in Vijendra’s room. Both had admitted to their ‘mistake’ and had also written an ‘apology.’ The IO also said that the knowledge of their relationship had come to light 2 to 3 months before her death. The IO said that we are trying to get details of this from the mobile phones. 

As per a SabrangIndia report, investigation was conducted on April 1, 2016 by a Rajasthan based Fact Finding Team of the National Human Rights Organisation (NHRO) that concluded that the victim had not died by suicide. Their findings were:

1. If after the March 28, 2016 incident, Priya Shukla, her husband and other staff members had — instead of shrouding it in secrecy (and only believing the PT Teacher Vijendra Singh’s version) immediately informed responsible persons from institution and the police, a death could have been avoided.

2. The allocation of a room for a male PT Teacher within a Girls Hostel is a grave act of irresponsibility on the part of the administration and management.

3. On March 29, 2016 at about 7 A.M when the victim’s absence was intimated to Priya Shukla for the second time, her duties as a hostel warden required that she should have immediately informed responsible authorities of the institution, including the principal. Her not doing so raises serious questions and raises grave suspicion(s).

4. The water tank in which the deceased was found dead has a depth of six feet. Significantly, the tank is fully covered; only a 1.5-foot X 1.5-foot hole exists which has a lid on top.  The lid has a hole for a lock and an old lock was seen by the team on the lid. But it was not locked. Not locking the tank is an act of grave responsibility on the part of the warden, principal and chairman of the institution.

5. From the size of the opening on the tank, it is highly unlikely that a healthy young woman of 5 foot four could have entered inside at all.

6. The fact that the police did not record the recovery of the body through videography deepens suspicions. Neither was a panchnama of the body performed.

7. After the body was removed, press reporter Pavan Kumar himself took photos of the body. There were injuries on the body and blood was oozing out of one ear. Bleeding from the ear in a death supposedly caused by drowning does not add up and further raises questions and suspicions.

8. The victim was from a poor Dalit family who had no political backing and support. There is every chance that the authorities and chairman of the Jain Adarsh Vidyalaya will use clout and other means to ensure that the case does not read fruition and justice is not delivered.

Related:

Delta Meghwal’s Death: Role of Warden and Others Suspicious
The Real Story Behind the Rape and Killing of Dalit Girl Student, Delta Meghwal

The post Bikaner hostel rape case: Rajasthan court awards life sentence to main accused, convicts two others appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Delhi’s Dalit, women and students organisations gathered for a protest on August 6, 2021 to condemn the heinous gang rape, murder and forcible cremation of a 9-year-old Dalit girl. The demonstration organised by the Students Federation of India (SFI) along with the Dalit Shoshan Mukti Manch (DSMM), the All India Democratic Women Association (AIDWA) began at 11 AM at Jantar Mantar.

Speaking out against the atrocity, Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) President Aishe Ghosh said, “Dalit women are doubly oppressed. We live in a political environment in which caste is being reinstated into our social order with its former vigour. It is no longer a disintegrating entity of the past but is being actively inserted into the very state’s framework, and as Brahminical notions of gender and caste get legitimized, crimes against women and lower castes will be on the rise. We must resist and rise in rage!”

The girl was from the Nangal village of Delhi cantonment area. A member of the Valmiki community, Her body was forcibly cremated without her mother’s consent by the crematorium priest. The same priest was among the accused in the case.

The girl had stepped out in the evening to get cold water from the crematorium’s water cooler but failed to return. Her mother was later shown the body by the priest, who said that she was electrocuted while drinking water. The priest attempted to intimidate the mother from informing the police, saying it would complicate the matter, and that a postmortem can result in organ stealing. However, the mother did not consent for the burial and alerted her husband, villagers and the police.

The SFI noted that sexual violence against women is a larger problem concerning a patriarchial society wherein women are rendered inferior and powerless, as objects of men’s carnal desires and domination. It is more about power than an uncontrollable sexual urge.

“Crimes against Dalit women have increased by six percent in the last 10 years. It is both gendered and caste-based violence. Dalit women constitute among the most powerless and oppressed in the society, owing to their gender and caste identity,” said SFI President Sumit Kataria.

SFI Delhi Secretary Pritish Menon demanded justice for the girl stating, “In many cases before too, we have seen how acts of sexual violence has been instrumentalised as ‘punishment’ for caste transgressions. We must raise our voice against the ideology which tries to legitimatize rape culture and caste oppression.”

Related:

And now, Hathras-like horror in Delhi!
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A heinous crime has been reported from New Delhi, the national capital, which is now under an enhanced security blanket as Independence Day draws near. Yet the lack of public and official uproar over the terrifying crime is deafening. On Sunday, August 1, a nine-year-old Dalit girl was allegedly raped, murdered and her body forcibly cremated by the alleged culprits, reportedly in a Delhi crematorium.

According to news reports, the Delhi Police have detained the crematorium priest in the case along with three others. A few Valmiki community members have bravely come out to protest the crime and demand justice for the victim and her family. According to a news report, the victim is from a poor family, and lived with her parents in Purana Nangal area near the Delhi Cantonment. She had reportedly gone to the crematorium on Sunday evening to get some drinking water for her family. According to reports the crematorium has a drinking water cooler from where she would collect water, however the little girl never returned home this time.

It has been reported that the “priest and his companions then told the girl’s mother not to inform the police”, when the family went looking for her and discovered the horror. However the distraught mother and father raised an alarm alerting the locals who then called the police. The South West district police told the media that they received a call about the case around 10.30 P.M. The news was reported in brief late night, and gained prominence after handles of social and community organisations raised the issue. 

दिल्ली में 9 साल की बच्ची के साथ अत्याचार और हत्या की भयानक घटना हुई है। हमारी टीम मौक़े पर है। ये मेरा अपना परिवार है। वह मेरी बहन थी। कल मैं खुद पीड़ित परिवार से मिलने जाऊंगा। न्याय होने तक हमारा संघर्ष जारी रहेगा।

— Chandra Shekhar Aazad (@BhimArmyChief) August 2, 2021

A 9-year-old SC girl was died in Delhi’s Cantt. The family alleged gang rape, murder and cremation without the nod. Instead of just showing, the govt should ensure fair probe. Don’t repeat Hathras. #JusticeForDelhiCanttGirl

— Suraj Kumar Bauddh (@SurajKrBauddh) August 3, 2021

Delhi Government’s Cabinet Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam who is an MLA from Seemapuri visited the area and assured help. However he reiterated that Delhi Police was under the Lt Governor and not the state government. 

दिल्ली के पुराना नांगल में शर्मसार करने वाली घटना सामने आई,12वर्षीय बच्ची की संदिग्ध हालत में मौत हो गई। लोगों का आरोप है कि बच्ची के साथ रेप के बाद हत्या की गई और बिना परिजनों के बच्ची का दाहसंस्कार किया गया, इस मामले में निष्पक्ष जांच के लिए जॉइंट CP, DCP व DM से बात की। pic.twitter.com/nh5xbojC4S

— Rajendra Pal Gautam (@AdvRajendraPal) August 2, 2021

It is noteworthy that Delhi Police’s Commissioner Rakesh Asthana, has recently assumed office, and this could well be one of the biggest cases the force has to solve after he assumed office. 

According to media reports, the accused reportedly told the girl’s parents that the child “died of electrocution” and pressured them not to inform the police. Nangal village where the crime took place is in the Delhi Cantonment area. According to media reports based on police statements the victim left home “at around 5:30 P.M on to get cold water from the water cooler at the crematorium but never returned”. India today reported further details saying, “At 6 P.M, the priest of the crematorium, Radhey Shyam, and 2-3 other persons known to the mother of minor girl called her to the crematorium and showed the girl’s body, saying that she got electrocuted while drinking water from the water cooler, police said, adding that girl’s mother said that there were injury marks on the her wrist and elbow and that her lips were blue.”

The horror of the case intensifies as a woman identified as the mother of the victim told journalist Meena Kotwal that the crematorium priest purpotdly admitted to committing the rape. “Pandit said ‘I have raped, I have done galat kaam’,” she can be heard in the video clip the journalist shared on social media. The distraught mother added that they tried to dismiss the matter there and there, and said that they should not go to the police. “They asked him [my husband] to sign a paper, they also asked me to sign, i said i am not literate and did not sign,” she said, adding, “They said go home but don’t go crying and lamenting. It will result in Infamy”. The child was then cremated, allegedly forcefully, “They did not even ask for her Aadhaar number,” said the mother. A crucial point as city crematoriums usually ask relatives for the death certificate and the Aadhaar number of the deceased before they go ahead with the final rites.

दिल्ली में हाथरस जैसा मामला, श्मशान घाट में पंडित समेत 4 लोगों ने किया 9 साल की दलित लड़की का गैंगरेप, फिर जलाया…

मां ने कहा- पंडित समेत चारों लोगों को मिले फांसी, उसने स्वीकारा था कि मैंने किया गैंगरेप! देखिये संवाददाता मीना कोटवाल के साथ पीड़िता की मां की बातचीत… pic.twitter.com/5wEExMQsN9

— Meena Kotwal (@KotwalMeena) August 2, 2021

That the case is yet to shake the core of the civil society, Delhi residents and the political silence around it is scary. It also brings alive the horrific memories of the Hathras gangrape case, reported in Sepetember 2020, where the victim, a Dalit girl, was also hastily cremated allegedly without the consent of the family. The allegations, counter allegations, and cases related to the Hathras ganrape, murder and cremation are ongoing. 

Related:

Hathras case: Victim’s family and lawyers threatened inside court premises
Gujarat: 16-year-old girl stabbed 32 times for refusing man’s marriage proposal
Woman set ablaze by man who had raped her two years ago

The post And now, Hathras-like horror in Delhi! appeared first on SabrangIndia.

While the Uttar Pradesh authorities have been busy applauding themselves on the ‘Safe City Project’, aimed at women’s safety news of horrific violence against women keep becoming public. However, this news, of the alleged rape, torture and murder of a young woman, possibly Dalit, in Jugail Police Station area of Sonbhadra district, has not found space in main stream headlines yet. It is a few social media users who have shared the information. 

The visual of the mud covered body of the young women, splayed out, as a relative is bent over weeping, and another of a man who seems to have collapsed in grief, are heartbreaking and triggering. The couple weeping (as seen in a video shared by another social media user) near the young woman’s body are probably her parents, or close relatives, the police are seen and heard asking them to quiet down, as they begin to take notes at the crime scene. According to the information shared by the social media users, the victim was a young married woman who has allegedly been raped and murdered. When her body was discovered it allegedly showed that “a cloth was stuffed in the private parts,” and her “eyes, nose and mouth were filled with mud,” a sari was wrapped around the neck.

यूपी,जिला सोनभद्र के जुगैल थाना अंतर्गत हाथरस जैसी वीभत्स घटना घटित हुई
शादी में आई युवती के साथ दुष्कर्म कर उसे मौत के घाट उतार दिया गया.
युवती के गुप्तांगों में कपड़ा ठूंस दिया गया, आंख कान नाक और मुंह में मिट्टी भर दी गई गले में साड़ी बांध घसीटा गया.. pic.twitter.com/cafucKPgWw

— Anil Shekhaliya ?? (@anil_shekhaliya) December 9, 2020

#Sonbhadra @yogitabhayana pic.twitter.com/1PFGMqJm3q

— Sachchidanand (@Sachchiest) December 9, 2020

This yet another incident where horrific crimes against women have been reported from the state, where Governor Anandiben Patel recently inaugurated the ‘Safe City Project’, a 180-day-long campaign under which the police and other departments will work towards safety of women. Patel had reportedly said the movement of women police personnel in Lucknow will inculcate a feeling of pride and safety for women in the city. The Governor had flagged off 100 pink scooties and 10 four-wheeler police vehicles, the central government has approved the project for Lucknow at a total cost of Rs 194 crore with an aim to strengthen security of women in public places.

सेफ सिटी परियोजना के क्रियान्वयन में उत्तर प्रदेश सरकार के प्रयासों को भारत सरकार ने सराहा। इस परियोजना के अंतर्गत लगाए जाने वाले उपकरणों एवं संसाधनों आदि की स्थापना में अब तक हुई प्रगति की समीक्षा की गई। #MissionShakti pic.twitter.com/dYPNl8I9ec

— Government of UP (@UPGovt) December 8, 2020

#MissionShaktiInNews #UPPolice pic.twitter.com/XnyHCqlZ1B

— UP POLICE (@Uppolice) December 7, 2020

“Crime against women is increasing, and in this scenario, the responsibility of society increases. If the schemes meant for women are not properly implemented, they will lose their importance. Till such time that women are dependent on others socially or monetarily, they will be exploited. The women have to become empowered,” Patel said. The Governor also said, “There are people with criminal and perverted mindset, who derive pleasure by committing crime. Girls are harassed while going to schools. It is because of these people that women do not feel safe in the family. Police must identify these people, and act before they could commit crime.”

At the same event, Additional Director General of Police (Women and Child Security) Neera Rawat said, “The cost of the projects is shared between the Centre and the state in a 60:40 ratio. These vehicles have first-aid kit, flashlights and other facilities. The women personnel will combat crimes against women, which will make them feel secured.”

So far only Jignesh Mevani, the  MLA from Vadgam Assembly Constituency, Gujarat, has amplified this information. He has asked PM Narendra Modi to ask Uttar Pradesh Chief MInister Adityanath to explain to the nation why the state “has become a hell for poor dalits?”

Most shocking.

Mr. @narendramodi can you ask @myogiadityanath to explain to the nation why Uttar Pradesh has become a hell for poor dalits? Why such lawlessness? Do you care about rule of law or u want it to be a banana republic? Have some mercy at least on this poor girl. https://t.co/sW7pFW93Ni

— Jignesh Mevani (@jigneshmevani80) December 9, 2020

However, there is no official word yet on this latest horrific crime reported. 

Related:

Is anti-Love Jihad Law constitutional?

Lucknow police stop interfaith wedding citing conversion laws!

State Counsel appears to justify the hasty cremation of Hathras Victim: HC

The post UP Dalit woman raped, killed, body found with mud in orifices! appeared first on SabrangIndia.