Debby Rai for BeyondHeadlines
New Delhi: As the masses raised their pitch and shouted slogans in the fond memory of December 16 rape victim at Jantar Mantar, the feeble plea of this isolated man got suppressed somewhere. As the much artistic and flashy banners condemning ‘crime against women’ captured a major chunk of eyeballs, the modest white coloured pamphlet tightly held in his hands lost the game!
He is the father of a rape victim who was not only robbed off her modesty, but killed in such a horrendous manner, that probably surpasses the inhuman treatment meted out to the victim of December 16 rape case.
Ironically, both the rape cases took place within a period of ten months of 2012, but media hype and public outcry was witnessed only in the December case.
On the night of February 9, 2012, 19-year-old Aditi (name changed) along with her three friends, was walking towards her home in Chhawla (South-West Delhi)after finishing her office work in Gurgaon.
On the way near Hanuman temple, three boys seated in an Indica started teasing them and tried to drag them inside the car. Except Aditi, all three girls managed to escape and informed her parents about the kidnapping.
“When we asked the officers of Chhawla Police Station to register an FIR, they refused and demanded a vehicle saying that they don’t have one in order to search the girl,” alleged Kunwar Singh Negi, father of Aditi, adding that due to their financial condition, it was impossible for them to provide a vehicle.
After much protest by the localites, the police finally registered an FIR the next morning. Aditi’s mutilated dead body was, however, recovered five days later from the fields of Rewari on February 14, 2012.
“The contents of the post-mortem report are shocking. As if her tormentors were not content after raping her, that they poured acid in her eyes and ears, gouged out her eyes using a chisel and even inserted a beer bottle into her private part”, alleged Anita Gupta, a social activist with Sanjeevani NGO.
Although all the three accused are in police custody now, but according to her father, the judicial system is of no help. “Since a year and half trial in Dwarka Court, this is the third sitting judge and the lawyers never bother to share the case details or even their contact numbers”, Negi alleged.
Anita Gupta added that post the decision to try the December 16 rape case in a fast-track court, they also insisted for the same privilege. “The tragedy remains that the other case being hyped my media got winded up in just nine months, while this one, despite its occurrence in February 2012, is still being dragged in court”, rued Gupta.
She reiterated that this is an ‘open-and-shut’ case, as the chisel, acid bottle and victim’s hair and blood samples were recovered from accused’ car.
“The accused taking the police to the place where they hid the dead body in Rewari is the prime proof of them committing the crime”, she stressed.
Anil Ojha, the then DCP of South-West Delhi could not be reached for further details. The present DCP Suman Goel, however, said that police is not supposed to divulge any such details.
Surprisingly, majority of the women activists contacted by this correspondent denied having either nil or very little knowledge about the case.
