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Now, even as the Centre presses to improve the safety of women around the country in the aftermath of the Delhi gangrape, the Kerala victim regrets going public about the assault on her because the stigma of the crime has caused even close relatives to shun her.
The woman was 20 years old when she was raped in July 2002. The incident took place in the government medical college in Kozhikode where she was being treated for her burns after she set herself on fire following a domestic dispute with her older sister.
Three days after she was admitted with severe burns on the front of her body, a hospital attendant offered to bathe her for Rs 100. The attendant, Subramanian, had been washing male and female patients as the hospital did not have enough nursing assistants.
According to the victim’s statement to a magistrate, Subramanian first molested her on the wheel-chair on which he took her to the bathroom. He then stood her up against the wall and raped her. The woman was so weak that her cries were not heard beyond the bathroom while a relative waited outside with Rs 100 that had been borrowed to pay for the bath.
The rape was detected and confirmed when the victim was found bleeding profusely in her bed, leading to a medical examination. Public outrage ensured better treatment for her with the government forming a panel of expert doctors to take care of her. “For nearly two years she was in different hospitals for burns treatment and counseling,’’ says her widower father.
The woman said she and her family were not aware that Subramanian was sentenced to 10 years in jail in 2006. “I had gone to court for the trial four or five times. The prosecutor showed me a newspaper photograph of the accused to help identify him in court. We do not know whether he is in jail or out,” she told The Indian Express.
“I lost out on life. I think I should not have complained against the rape. The incident left me and my father isolated. Since then, not a single relative has visited us. Their attitude has ensured that I am stuck with the stigma of being a rape victim,” she said.
Besides, she is also dependent on sedatives to get over the memories of the crime and the trauma. “I cannot sleep without tablets. I feel drowsy even during the day due to regularly taking medicines. That, in a way, helped me overcome the abuse,” she said.
Just like curruption, murder. kidnappimg have come to stay in this country rape has also come to stay and nothing can be done as long as we elect rapists , murderers , as our representatives to parliment and Legislative assemblies.So everything will be forgotten in due course of time and rapes will continue to flourish in futur also.
I am sad that many of us are just talking about strict law against the crime of rape. None of us is perhaps not interested in looking at the root cause for committing this kind of henious crime. The main culprit is the mind set of us in the society. The boys are now a pampered lot relatively and this alone gives them a feeling that they can do anything and get away with it without even a scolding from their own parents because their parents would have been brought up in that kind of condition. I wish if the parents are given proper counselling by the religious heads on removal of stigma of rape victims, if the law implementing agencies did their duty properly, if the rape scenes are not allowed in Indian cinemas/small screens, if the school syallabus contained in sufficient details of the importance of imbibing qualities of integrity and virtues of patience, respect for individuals and happiness in others success, love of sacrifice - perhaps we could uproot this menace.
India, wake up and act on these pressing violent issues. The whole world is watching and wondering ?? What are you doing?? I pray all tourists ban visiting your country until justice is served.
