Psychiatrists confirm that women usually do not report rape in India. They are scared about their future and chances of strained relations without their fault. They cannot face their boyfriends, husband, parents, relatives and neighbors and they are also afraid of the persons who committed the crime in spite of the assurance if it is given by the police.
That is what happened in the case of ‘Abhaya’ as police call her to keep her identity from being exposed. A software employee waiting for a bus in Cyberabad at 8.45 pm to reach her hostel saw a Volvo car, driver of which was posing as a taxi driver agreed to take her to the hostel. Another driver was already there in the car who posed as a traveler. The car in fact was hired by a businessman in the absence of who the drivers took out to have fun and they located the girl waiting for bus. They took her to the forest in Medak district and raped her and left her at her hostel at 1.45 in the night. She was virtually had a horrifying experience for 5 hours.
But she did not tell about the rape to anyone. She only said that some people wanted to abduct her but when she raised an alarm they let her go. She did not reveal the facts even to her boy friend who made efforts to trace her. Alarmed by the persons in the car making advances, she tried to contact her boy friend at Bangalore at which time the phone was snatched by them. Sensing that something is wrong her boyfriend contacted one of his friends at Hyderabad and asked him to report to police. By the time police started searching for her she was dropped back by the criminals.
When police questioned her she told that she was let off but did not complain that she was raped. Police got suspicious seeing the blood stains and clinical test revealed that she was raped.
The criminals were sure that she will not complain against them that is what made them drop her back. But for the insistence of the police and investigation through CC cameras the rape case would not have come to light like many other cases and the criminals would have gone scot free congratulating themselves for the thrilling experience they had.
Police have produced the two accused in the Miyapur court. The Police arrested the drivers of the cab by tracing through the cc cameras footage. The court ordered a 14 days remand to the accused. The Rangareddy Bar Association today took a decision not to defend the accused in the case of ‘Abhaya’ which is like a social boycott although law provides a right to every person to be defended in the court of law. Such boycotts and stringent punishments to the criminals and support to the victims from the friends and relatives only reduce such heinous crimes. Above all prompt actions of the police should be ensured in all such cases from all sections of the society so that the victims will come forward to report the crime.
-SriJa
