Her name was Dr. Priyanka Reddy, she was a 26 year old veterinarian, and she’s the latest addition to “India’s daughters”.
I am Anjitha, I am a 22 year old engineer, and I am scared — for every woman out there, and for myself.
Here is why…
Delhi — 16th December 2012 — Nirbhaya:
She was a physiotherapy intern, on a bus going back home with her friend, when she was gang raped. Her male friend suffered injuries after being beaten up with an iron rod. The same rod was used to hurt her, so much that her internal organs had to be removed surgically. She succumbed to her injuries after 13 days at the hospital. Her name was Jyoti Singh. She was only 23. One of her assailants who was a juvenile was convicted of 3 years of prison sentence on account of his age.
Apparently in our country, the perpetrator is too young to be hanged but the victim isn’t too young to be assaulted.
Mumbai — 22 August, 2013 — The Shakti Mills Gang Rape:
A 22 year old photojournalist was raped by 5 men inside the Mills. Later, an 18 year old call centre employee also reported her rape inside the same complex. There were 3 repeat offenders in both cases. In each of the two cases, there were juvenile perpetrators, who again received less punishment than they deserved for their crime (in my personal opinion). The victim was tied up with belts and photographed while being raped.
Imagine yourself, your female friends, your sisters or your mothers in the same situation.
West Bengal — March 26, 2015 — Kandhamal rape:
She was a 71 year old nun. Eight men robbed the Catholic missionary school and forced entry upon the Convent of Jesus and Mary and raped her after the looting. Six were arrested.
She was 71, for god’s sake. What happened to the victim, you ask? Sadly I don’t know, do you?
Kathua — 17 January 2018 — Asifa:
Remember her? No, why would you, right? Asifa Bano was 8, she was abducted, drugged, raped and murdered. Eight people were arrested, of which four were police officers. Forensic examination says she was raped multiple times, strangled and hit on the head with a stone.
Tell me, are these men even human or are they monsters? How depraved do you have to be to hurt a child like that?
UP — 17 January 2018 — Unnao Rape Case:
The 17 year old victim was gang raped by a prominent politician. The victim tried to immolate herself afterwards. Her father died in judicial custody. Two of her relatives were victims of a truck collision, which is suspected to have been planned.
The perpetrators of the crime have still not been convicted.
Kerala — January 2017 — Walayar case:
In 2017, an 11* year old girl hung herself in her home. The body was found by her 9 year old younger sister. Examination of the dead body showed she was a victim of sexual assault. Two months later on March 4th, the younger sister was found dead too. More than 2 years later, the accused walked free when a Palakkad court acquitted 3 of them pointing out the inability of the prosecution to prove their guilt. The two girls were minors, little more than babies, and the parents say all the accused were known to the kids. The parents suspect foul play and that the girls were killed.
If girls can’t trust the people they know, how can they survive in this world of strangers?
* News paper articles are conflicted about the older sister’s age. Some state she was 11, other articles say she was 13. Either way, she was a child and she did not deserve what happened.
Hyderabad — November 27, 2019 — Priyanka:
She’s being called as Hyderabad’s Nirbhaya. A 26 year old veterinarian, she was coming home at 9.30 pm when she was kidnapped, raped and burnt alive. Four men have been arrested. Police officials say that the kidnapping and rape was pre-planned, the accused men having noted her daily routine prior to the assault. She called her sister before being kidnapped and said, she was scared. I want to write more, but you have probably seen it all in the news. It makes me nauseated to read about it.
I could go on, because these are just some of the many “India’s daughters” out there. These are just the reported cases. Who knows how many women, how many children, are the unvoiced victims? I am sorry, but as I write this, I am crying silent tears, I am heartbroken at the fate of an unknown sister, I am enraged at the people who still look to blame the victim, at the judiciary who only doles out punishment after the act, at the helpless men who say not all men are like that. But most of all, I am scared.
I am not a feminist. I am not a man-hater. I don’t care about the petty issues that get more media coverage than the real ones should. I am terrified when someone of the opposite sex comes near me. Because as Aranya Johar said in her poem, “the men I can trust are only a few”. I am just a 22 year old female in India, and I am scared. Can you blame me?
Note: A lot of the content is based on researching articles on Google. I do not mean to hurt anybody with the content. It is purely an opinion piece and I request it be treated as such.
