Rajasthan Gang Rape & Suicide Case:
In the photograph above is a young woman who shouldn't need to hide her face. Yet, the law stands in the way. The laws conceal the faces of women and girls who have been raped and sometimes even shield the perpetrators themselves. The photo features 18-year-old Abha from Rajasthan, who just days ago, bravely confronted the legal system in front of a host of media microphones. Regrettably, she now harbors no grudges against the law or the police force, for there is no need for them to fear her anymore. Abha has been silenced forever.
Villagers' Sit-In Outside Police Station
Just a few hours after addressing the media with her final words, Abha ended her life. While she was alive, Abha's pleas for justice for herself and her sister-in-law went unheard, but now that her tragic story has been revealed, it has sparked outrage. The same Abha who fought for justice for herself and her sister-in-law is now being fought for in silence. The entire village sits outside a police station with her bier, desperately trying to awaken the seemingly deaf and mute justice system with the noise arising from around her lifeless body.
The Reality Behind Fiction
In 2017, a film called 'Kaabil' hit the theaters, starring Hrithik Roshan and Yami Gautam, who both played visually impaired characters. In the movie, a corporator's son assaults Yami's character. Although the couple seeks help from the police, their pleas fall on deaf ears. Feeling defeated, Yami's character takes her own life. The story of Abha isn't much different, except the law turned out to be blind in her case. Because of this blind law, two lives were lost. Before Abha, her sister-in-law Swati, when left unheard by the law and police, self-immolated. This story is not just about two deaths; it's a stinging slap to every entity, including the khaki, the bureaucracy, the law, and the justice system.
Source: aajtak
Abha Shared Her Ordeal With the Media
The story begins a year before when Abha's sister-in-law Swati, a college student, commuted by bus, where she befriended Ashok, Lalchand, and Shyochand. Shyochand is related to a Rajasthani cabinet minister, Sumit Godara. Seizing an opportunity, the three boys assaulted Swati and recorded the act on a mobile phone, blackmailing her into silence.
Blackmailing Continued for Months
The three boys released Swati after the incident, but the threat of public shaming over the video kept her quiet. Fearing the destruction of her married life, she kept silent as the boys exploited her for months. When the boys threatened to leak the video unless Swati introduced them to her sister-in-law Abha, Swati told Abha everything.
December 23, 2023 - Unspeakable acts against Swati and Abha
Now, both Swati and Abha were trapped by the boys. Abha, trying to protect her sister-in-law's life, found her own life now tormented. This too lasted for months, with both suffering in silence to protect their family's honor. Then, on December 23, 2023, both were abused together for the first time by all three perpetrators.
Source: aajtak
