Istri Jagriti Manch to protest against UP rapes on Oct 4

Strap: Culture of rape: Even amidst the lockdown several cases surfaced in the region

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Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, October 2

In July this year, a Dalit woman from the Bajuha Khurd village committed suicide minutes after posting a video claiming she had been insulted by her neighbours. In May, a 25-year-old was booked for raping his 16-year-old sister for years. During the lockdown months, the state and district witnessed many rapes which bear testimony to the fact that women are not safe anywhere.

While massive protests have been planned across the country following the callous Hathras and Balrampur rape cases, same shall also pan out across various areas and villages in Jalandhar against the brutal rapes. Activists of the Istri Jagriti Manch held meetings at the Adra Mann among other villages on Friday and dharnas have been slated for October 4.

Women activists fighting for justice for rape victims in the region also say the process is steeped in patriarchy and regressive mindsets, where getting many to speak up is an uphill task. The menace is much bigger than being reported. Many women don’t even report cases out of fear of bringing dishonour and societal rebuke to their families.

Jasbir Jassi, an activist of the Istri Jagriti manch, says, “We can only take up cases where the women are willing to speak. People’s mindsets need a massive change. A woman was killed at the Nijjran village when she had been out in the fields to bring fodder for her animals. No one knows why or who murdered her, till date. A case at Pabwan village was lodged against a father-in-law for raping his daughter-in-law but no arrest has been made so far. Another boy in the same village raped a woman on the pretext of marrying her.” She goes on: “A woman’s so called ‘honour’ is still unfortunately the object of exploitation for anyone looking to seek revenge. This mindset exceedingly persists in villages. Insulting the women in someone’s family is the best way to settle a score with a certain person. Women.”

Activist Tarsem Peter, says, “There are many villages where women fall prey to incidents and await justice. In some incidents like the rape incident at Chak Maglani village, despite FIR under sections of the SC/ST Act in certain cases, and in others despite the intervention of the women’s or the SC/ST Commissions the accused still get off scot-free.”

Box: A string of recent incidents in and around district

June 2019: A 38-year-old man was beaten to death by a mob in Jalandhar for raping a nine-year-old at Rama Mandi. Heard screaming by parents and neighbours, the girl was reported brought dead when rushed to hospital.

May 27, 2020: A 25-year-old Jalandhar Cantt man was booked for allegedly raping his minor sister for several years. Booked, the brother had fled by the time a case was registered.

May 2, 2020: A14-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a man, who was the paramour of the victim’s mother. Both of them were arrested. The victim, a resident of Nawanshahr village, narrated the ordeal to her father.

July 2020: A girl who had gone to fetch wood near the Verka Milk Plant with her mother was kidnapped by a group of men. She was taken to a remote location in Rajasthan where they drugged and raped her. She freed herself by managing to escape from the house.

September 16, 2020: The Kapurthala police arrested a migrant labour who raped a six-year-old girl on the pretext of buying her a toy. The girl had fainted while narrating the ordeal to her relatives and was then rushed to a local hospital.

September, 2020: A man was booked for raping an eight-year-old girl, his neighbour, at Rama Mandi here. She was raped when her mother and brother had gone to deliver food to her father at his shop nearby.