Are women safe in the modern 21st century?
The rape victims were among the age group of below six years to over 60 years. Madhya Pradesh has reported 4,391 rape cases, a highest among the states. Whereas, the national capital has reported 2,199 such cases–highest among the union territories.
Nearly 3.27 lakh cases of crimes against women were reported across the country. Of these over 1.3 lakh were sexual offences–1.2 lakh in states and 9,445 in union territories. The sexual offences cases included rape, attempt to commit rape, assault on women with intent to outrage her modesty and insult to modesty of women.
Delhi has the highest number of rape cases recorded every year. Sources showed that the number of rape cases has doubled between 1990 and 2008. According to the National Crime Records Bureau 24206 rape cases were registered in India in 2011 only. According to the source, a new case is reported in every 20 minutes. There are even cases that we cannot imagine, girls and women are being molested, raped but only some of them get the justice
10 Most Brutal Rape Cases in India
- Suryanelli rape case
A 16 year old girl from Suryanelli village of Idukki district in Kerala was abducted and gang raped by 5 persons repeatedly over 40 days. This is a high profile scandal in Kerala, including various notable persons and politicians. On January 1996, the girl’s family just relocated to the village at that time because of her father transfer when she went missing for straight 40 days without any trace.
She was later spotted near her father’s office in a dreadful state. After several close examination, doctors confirmed molestation and rape. In 2012, it was reported that the company that she was working lately suspended her in a case of breach of trust and forgery, but reinstated after 8 months due to public pressure. She also stated that her family is still treated as outcast.
- Mathura rape case
The Mathura rape case is an incident of custodial rape or prison rape in Chandrapur district of Maharastra. On 26 March 1972, a 15 year old tribal girl named Mathura was reportedly raped by two policemen in the compound of the Desai Ganj Police Station.
Earlier on the same day she and her brother were summoned to the police station along with a person named Ashok who was charged for kidnaping. Following the investigation, they let Ashok and his family go, but they asked Mathura to stay behind while her brother waited outside. That was the time when they raped her. They went to court after court, but there was no justice granted.
- Bahraich rape case
This case takes us to the Bahraich district of Uttarpradesh, where a 15 year old was murdered and her body was found hanging from a tree. The girl was kidnapped from her home at Nanpara just 160 kilometres from Lucknow. According to the reports three people first raped and killed her, and later hanged her dead body to the tree to make it convincing of a suicide. After investigation several police constables were suspended for failing their duties.
- Vachathi case
The Vachathi refers to devilish crime, happened on June the 20th in 1992. A team of 263 forest personnel with police entered Dalit dominated village of Vachathi in Dharmpuri district, Tamil Nadu, searching and inquiring about Veerappan a renowned Sandalwood smuggler.
During the search they destroy their house, ransacked the villagers’ property, killed their cattle and raped 18 women. After the CBI inquiry all of them found guilty, 54 of the accused died by the time and remaining 215 were sentenced to jail. The case illustrates not only the state of women in rural India, but the grudge of Dalit women in our modern society.
- Imrana rape case
A 28-year-old Muslim woman was sexually assaulted by her father in law in Muzaffernagar on 6th June 2005. After this, the village elders announced Imrana’s marriage with her husband null, as the Sharia regards sexual relations with both the father and son as illegal or forbidden.
This sparked nationwide controversy as some argued that the case was treated as an adultery and not rape case. The police registered a case under section 376 and 506 of rape and intimidation. He was sentenced 10 years of imprisonment and a fine of Rupees 3000.
- 2015 Kandhamal gang rape case
The people were outraged, when a 71 year old Catholic nun was gang raped by eight men in Ranaghat, Nadia district of West Bengal. Even before the attack, school officials already told police that they received death threats. On March 26, 2015, two men were arrested for the crime they have committed.
- 2013 Mumbai gang rape
2013 Mumbai gang rape was executed by five individuals in the abandoned Shakti Mills compound, Mahalaxmi, Mumbai. On August 22, 2013, a 22-year-old photojournalist with her male colleague went to the deserted compound on an assignment. Five men attacked them, tied the male colleague and molest the photojournalist.
They also threatened both of them to not to report this incident. She gave her statement to police after four days on the 26 August, after receiving medical treatment from Jaslok Hospital. In her statement, she bravely said that, “I want no other woman in this city and country to go through such a brutal physical humiliation.
Perpetrators should be punished hardly, they have ruined my life. No punishment short of a life term will take away my pain, humiliation and physical abuse I underwent. Rape is not the end of life. I will continue my fight.” This spread like a fire in the jungle, and soon the police were able to catch those culprits in 65 hours. On April 4, three of the culprits were sentenced to death while two of them were awarded with the life sentence.
- Bhanwari Devi case (2011)
The Bhanwari Devi rape case attracted widespread media attention nationally and internationally. She was a 36 year old Auxillary Nurse Midwife. On 1st Sep 2011, Bhanwari Devi went missing. Her husband alleged that she was abducted on the orders of MahipalMaderna politician from Jodhpur, Rajasthan.
According to her husband, she was being blackmailed by Maderna and Malkhan Singh -based on a CD in which they were seen in a compromising position. The case was later handed over to CBI and they solved the whole case in 100 days. CBI investigation reveled that the allegations were true and MadernaNdMalkan were both founded guilty.
- Delhi Gang rape and murder case
16 December 2012 is the darkest day in the history of India. Delhi Gang rape and murder case was one of the most brutal case not only in India but in the world. A 23 year woman and her friend were on their way to home from Saket to Dwarka. On their way, near Munirka, they aboard an off duty private bus to reach their final destination.
Soon after some time, the male passenger, AwindraPratap Pandey found that the bus was deviated and not going where they thought they were going. He was beaten by six people who were already on board with an iron rod and knocked unconscious. Then six of them of which one is a juvenile forced the woman, raped her and then he injected a wheel jack handle rite into her genitals, which damaged her abdomen and intestine.
Their cruelty didn’t just end here, they threw both of them out from the moving bus, and vanished out of the spot. After a week of treatment, she died in a hospital in Singapore. All the six people were arrested and one of them Ram Singh committed suicide in trial period in jail. Four of them were hanged and the young boy under 18 is sent to a juvenile home.
- Kathua Rape Case
The entire nation was shell shocked after discovering one of the most barbaric rape cases in the country in recent years, where an eight year old girl named Asifa was allegedly gang raped by six men who abducted her and kept her in captivity in a temple situated near the village in Kathua district, Jammu Kashmir.
She was brutally killed after being sexually assaulted once again inside the temple premises. The eight year old belonged to the Bakarwal nomadic minority tribe who are traditionally shepherds. As per the charge sheet filed by the J&K police, the abduction and rape were a planned strategy to eradicate the nomadic community from the area.
By- R.PRERNA, Student Reporter, INBA