A girl in Kannauj, UP was gang-raped by 2 men – Salman and Talib – and the video of the rape uploaded on social media. Now she and her family are threatening to immolate themselves in front of the CM’s residence, if the accused are not arrested and punished.
The girl, who is a resident of Samdhan town in Gursahaiganj area, Kannauj district, was out to buy medicines on 24 April when she was offered a lift by an acquaintance, Salman, who was on a bike. When Salman took the bike on the wrong route, she objected but he kept driving and took her to a tubewell at an isolated spot near Tera Jaket where his friend Talib was already waiting.
The duo physically assaulted the girl and beat her up. First, Salman raped her while Talib recorded a video of the act and then Talib raped her while Salman recorded the video. The traumatized girl returned home and was too scared to even tell her family.
Her family found out later after the accused uploaded the rape video on social media. They approached the police and lodged a complaint. The victim’s family has alleged that the police was lackadaisical in their approach and did not immediately arrest the accused.
Once the shocking rape video went viral and public disgust started rising, police finally swung into action. They sent the girl for a medical test in which rape was confirmed. They are now conducting raids to arrest the 2 accused men.
The victim and her family have demanded that the accused be arrested and handed severe punishment – either death of life imprisonment. They have threatened to commit collective suicide if their demand is not met.
But despite all the incriminating evidence in this case – a video, testimony of the victim, medical test confirming rape – a liberal, ultra-secular media outlet like NDTV is still not convinced that the woman was raped, and whether the video uploaded on social media depicts a sexual assault (do they believe it shows a consensual encounter? How hard could it be for a large media house to confirm with local sources and police on what the video shows?) –
https://twitter.com/Karl_Maarx/status/990867539432431616
Such repeated incidents highlight the crying need to reform social mindsets which regard women of other communities as mere sex objects, and also to reform the colonial structures of our law & order machinery to make it more people-oriented and responsive.
Did you find this article useful? We’re a non-profit. Make a donation and help pay for our journalism.