NEW DELHI, A Delhi court has jailed a man for 10 years for raping a minor girl in 2004 after luring her by offering to give her chocolates.
"Rape is...a crime against the entire society. It destroys the entire psychology of a woman and pushes her into deep emotional crisis," said Additional Sessions Judge Gulshan Kumar while sending Sajjan Singh, 48, to jail for raping his six-year-old neighbour.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs.20,000 on him.
The judged relied upon the testimony of the child and turned down the accused's plea that the conviction could not solely be based on her statement.
As per the prosecution, Sajjan Singh, a resident of Vasant Kunj area, called the girl, who lived in the same building as his, and her brother to his room in June 2004. He gave money to the girl's brother and sent him to market to buy chocolates and raped the girl in the room.
After the rape, Sajjan Singh offered milk to the girl and asked her not to disclose the incident to anybody, the prosecution said.
But two days later the girl told her mother about the incident and a police complaint was registered, the prosecution said.
The convict said he was implicated by the girl's parents as they had a quarrel over water issues a few days before the police complaint.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/10-years-jail-for-Delhi-minors-rapist/articleshow/18911733.cms
Monday, March 11, 2013
Bitti Mohanty sings, confesses to rape
Published: Monday, Mar 11, 2013, 9:30 IST | Updated: Monday, Mar 11, 2013, 14:03 IST
By M Raghuram | Place: Kannur | Agency: DNA
By M Raghuram | Place: Kannur | Agency: DNA
This small-town police station in the centre of God’s own country is now basking in the glory of arresting Bitti Mohanty, the rapist and fugitive who was on the wanted list of the Rajasthan police ever since he jumped the parole on November 5, 2006, in the case of raping a German national.
Mohanty is facing the charges of impersonating and cheating, under sections 419, 420, 458 and 471 of the IPC. He has been lodged in the Kannur district central jail. “The Rajasthan police will have to claim his custody from the court and the police will only give security in the case of transfer according to the court order,” director general of police, Kerala, KS Balasubramanian, told DNA.
The Kerala police may get to grill Bitty only after the Rajasthan police do so in the case of the rape of a German woman. It was in Alwar, Rajasthan, in 2006 that he had committed the act. The Rajasthan police is likely to claim his custody on Monday. Sources in Payyangadi police station said they have to notify the jurisdictional station head about the transfer or claim.
In his statement to the Kannur police, Mohanty confessed to raping the German woman and hiding in Andhra Pradesh. He said he stayed in Puttaparthi and got trained for appearing in the bank examinations.
Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_bitty-mohanty-sings-confesses-to-rape_1809674
35-year-old woman alleges gangrape in moving car near Akshardham temple
A 35-year-old married woman was allegedly abducted and gangraped by six men in a moving car near Akshardham temple, on Sunday morning.
The incident was reported near Akshardham temple in East Delhi at 10 am, when the woman was walking on the road.
According to police, she was picked up by the accused who were inside a car.
"One of the men pulled her inside. The six men then took turns raping her. The woman has given us a few names that she heard while she was in the car. We are trying to verify them and identify the accused," a senior police officer told Newsline.
The men then dropped her outside Bhairon temple near Pragati Maidan.
The woman then approached Tilak Marg police station but since she was abducted from East Delhi, she was taken to Mandawali police station and a case was registered. Medical examination has confirmed sexual intercourse.
Two men named in the case are accused of raping her in 2012 . Police said the woman has filed three rape cases in the past 12 years.
Source:http://www.indianexpress.com/news/35yearold-woman-alleges-gangrape-in-mo.../1086133/
Innocence lost: College student rapes 5-year-old in south Delhi
Rape
|
A five-year-old girl was raped by her neighbour, a hotel management student, in Kapashera area of South-West Delhi on Friday.
According to the police, the accused identified as Lalit (20) lives with his family near the victim’s house. He is studying at a prominent college in the Capital.
The girl was playing outside her house in the afternoon when the accused allegedly spotted her and took her to a nearby empty plot on pretext of playing together. He allegedly raped her there. “He even threatened her of dire consequences if she reported the matter to anyone. Initially, the girl did not report the matter to her family. But when she could not bear the pain, she narrated her ordeal to her parents who immediately informed the police,†an official said. The victim was rushed to the nearby Safdarjung Hospital where medical tests confirmed rape. A case was registered at Kapashera police station. The accused was subsequently arrested. Meanwhile, the victim’s family reported that they have been living in constant fear since they registered the case as Lalit’s family was allegedly putting pressure on them to quash the FIR. “Lalit belongs to an influential family. They are continuously threatening us to take back our complaint. some unidentified persons pelted stones at our house last night,†the victim’s grandfather said.
Source: http://m.indiatoday.in/story/five-year-old-girl-raped-by-a-college-student-in-south-delhi-kapashera-area/1/257321.html
|
Delhi gang-rape case: Accused Ram Singh commits suicide in Tihar; family says he was murdered
PTI | Mar 11, 2013, 02.16 PM IST
NEW DELHI: In a sensational twist in the gruesome Delhi gang rape-cum-murder case, one of the accused Ram Singh allegedly committed suicide in a high-security cell in Tihar Jail early on Monday morning, raising questions over monitoring of undertrials.
Significantly 33-year-old Ram Singh, who has a slight deformity in his right hand after an accident, hanged himself from the grill of his cell in jail No.3 using his clothes, jail officials said.
The news of his death immediately triggered demands from his lawyers and family for a CBI probe. They alleged that he was murdered inside the jail and refused to believe that he could have committed suicide.
Forensic experts have visited the jail premises to collect samples. Singh was under depression for the past couple of days and on Sunday evening, he even did not have food, jail sources said, a claim contested by his lawyers.
Since it was a death under suspicious circumstances, Delhi government ordered an inquiry by a metropolitan magistrate.
"Singh was not alone in the cell when he committed suicide. Other inmates were present and a guard was also posted. But nobody came to know about it. Around 5am, he was found hanging," a senior jail official said.
Prone to violent behaviour and mood swings, he had suicidal tendencies and was under "suicide watch," he said.
Singh, who was to be produced before court for its daily hearing, was rushed to the jail hospital where he was declared brought dead. His body will be taken to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for post mortem.
"There is already an inquiry which has been ordered by Tihar Jail on suicide of the main accused. We are enquiring into the matter," R P N Singh, minister of state for home affairs, said.
The girl was raped in the bus by him and his five associates, including a minor, in south Delhi after brutally beating her and also her male friend. The girl died in a Singapore hospital on December 29.
Singh, who was arrested a day after the incident, was the driver of the bus in which the girl was raped. His brother Mukesh was driving the bus when the girl was sexually assaulted allegedly by them.
All the adult accused, charged with murder and gangrape, face punishment up to death. The other four accused came to the Saket court where lawyers are on strike.
M L Sharma, a lawyer claiming to appear for Singh, had moved the Supreme Court seeking transfer of the case out of Delhi on grounds that the trial would be vitiated in the capital. The court rejected it.
Singh's lawyer V K Anand said after the death that again they would move the Supreme Court for shifting the trial from Delhi as they feel that the accused are not safe here.
In a related development, the court hearing the case was informed about Singh's death. Additional sessions judge Yogesh Khanna ordered that an inquiry be held into it.
Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit met Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde in the wake of the alleged suicide by a December 16 gang rape case accused.
"A magisterial inquiry has already been ordered. Till the report comes, it will be difficult to comment on the issue. Let the autopsy report come, things will be clear," Dikshit said.
Singh's family alleged that he was murdered and demanded a CBI probe into the incident. "He has not committed suicide. He has been murdered and then hanged. I am saying this on the basis of the fact that evidences has been erased. He could not move his hand as it have fractures.
"I am also demanding that the post mortem be held infront me," he said.
Reacting to the incident, the girl's family said they were "surprised but not saddened" by the suicide and are waiting for the four others to be sent to the gallows.
"We are surprised at the suicide but we are not sad. He would have been hanged even otherwise. We wanted him to be hanged publicly. He might have hanged because of shame. Now we are waiting for the four others to be sent to gallows," he said.
Lawyers appearing for Singh and four others said "there is some foul play" behind the death.
"There is some foulplay. He cannot commit suicide. He is not such a person that he can commit suicide. He was very happy with the way the trial was going on," advocate V K Anand, who represents Singh and his brother Mukesh, alleged.
Lawyer A P Singh, appearing for Vinay Sharma and Akshay Singh, said that Ram Singh was "killed by jail authorities" and that Tihar is no longer safe for undertrials.
M L Sharma, who appeared for Singh initially, also alleged that Singh was killed by police.
Mamata Sharma, National Women's Commission chairperson, raised questions about the functioning of Tihar Jail, saying it was "shocking" that the administration could not protect the undertrial and demanded an inquiry.
Former Tihar director general Kiran Bedi said only an inquiry will tell under what special watch was he and what happened to that watch. "How did this man give this watch a slip? I think we need to wait for the inquiry," she said.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Delhi-gang-rape-case-Accused-Ram-Singh-commits-suicide-in-Tihar-family-says-he-was-murdered/articleshow/18906803.cms
NEW DELHI: In a sensational twist in the gruesome Delhi gang rape-cum-murder case, one of the accused Ram Singh allegedly committed suicide in a high-security cell in Tihar Jail early on Monday morning, raising questions over monitoring of undertrials.
Significantly 33-year-old Ram Singh, who has a slight deformity in his right hand after an accident, hanged himself from the grill of his cell in jail No.3 using his clothes, jail officials said.
The news of his death immediately triggered demands from his lawyers and family for a CBI probe. They alleged that he was murdered inside the jail and refused to believe that he could have committed suicide.
Forensic experts have visited the jail premises to collect samples. Singh was under depression for the past couple of days and on Sunday evening, he even did not have food, jail sources said, a claim contested by his lawyers.
Since it was a death under suspicious circumstances, Delhi government ordered an inquiry by a metropolitan magistrate.
"Singh was not alone in the cell when he committed suicide. Other inmates were present and a guard was also posted. But nobody came to know about it. Around 5am, he was found hanging," a senior jail official said.
Prone to violent behaviour and mood swings, he had suicidal tendencies and was under "suicide watch," he said.
Singh, who was to be produced before court for its daily hearing, was rushed to the jail hospital where he was declared brought dead. His body will be taken to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for post mortem.
"There is already an inquiry which has been ordered by Tihar Jail on suicide of the main accused. We are enquiring into the matter," R P N Singh, minister of state for home affairs, said.
The girl was raped in the bus by him and his five associates, including a minor, in south Delhi after brutally beating her and also her male friend. The girl died in a Singapore hospital on December 29.
Singh, who was arrested a day after the incident, was the driver of the bus in which the girl was raped. His brother Mukesh was driving the bus when the girl was sexually assaulted allegedly by them.
All the adult accused, charged with murder and gangrape, face punishment up to death. The other four accused came to the Saket court where lawyers are on strike.
M L Sharma, a lawyer claiming to appear for Singh, had moved the Supreme Court seeking transfer of the case out of Delhi on grounds that the trial would be vitiated in the capital. The court rejected it.
Singh's lawyer V K Anand said after the death that again they would move the Supreme Court for shifting the trial from Delhi as they feel that the accused are not safe here.
In a related development, the court hearing the case was informed about Singh's death. Additional sessions judge Yogesh Khanna ordered that an inquiry be held into it.
Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit met Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde in the wake of the alleged suicide by a December 16 gang rape case accused.
"A magisterial inquiry has already been ordered. Till the report comes, it will be difficult to comment on the issue. Let the autopsy report come, things will be clear," Dikshit said.
Singh's family alleged that he was murdered and demanded a CBI probe into the incident. "He has not committed suicide. He has been murdered and then hanged. I am saying this on the basis of the fact that evidences has been erased. He could not move his hand as it have fractures.
"I am also demanding that the post mortem be held infront me," he said.
Reacting to the incident, the girl's family said they were "surprised but not saddened" by the suicide and are waiting for the four others to be sent to the gallows.
"We are surprised at the suicide but we are not sad. He would have been hanged even otherwise. We wanted him to be hanged publicly. He might have hanged because of shame. Now we are waiting for the four others to be sent to gallows," he said.
Lawyers appearing for Singh and four others said "there is some foul play" behind the death.
"There is some foulplay. He cannot commit suicide. He is not such a person that he can commit suicide. He was very happy with the way the trial was going on," advocate V K Anand, who represents Singh and his brother Mukesh, alleged.
Lawyer A P Singh, appearing for Vinay Sharma and Akshay Singh, said that Ram Singh was "killed by jail authorities" and that Tihar is no longer safe for undertrials.
M L Sharma, who appeared for Singh initially, also alleged that Singh was killed by police.
Mamata Sharma, National Women's Commission chairperson, raised questions about the functioning of Tihar Jail, saying it was "shocking" that the administration could not protect the undertrial and demanded an inquiry.
Former Tihar director general Kiran Bedi said only an inquiry will tell under what special watch was he and what happened to that watch. "How did this man give this watch a slip? I think we need to wait for the inquiry," she said.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Delhi-gang-rape-case-Accused-Ram-Singh-commits-suicide-in-Tihar-family-says-he-was-murdered/articleshow/18906803.cms
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Yeola rape victim continues to protest
Santosh Sonawane, TNN Mar 10, 2013, 05.15AM IST
NASHIK: The 21-year-old rape victim of Nagarsul village in Yeola tehsil, Nashik district, continued her agitation for the second day on Saturday to demand the arrest of the sarpanch who had allegedly raped her.
The victim who is agitating, is accompanied by her husband, who, according to sources, said that the arrest of the sarpanch was necessary as there was a constant threat to their life from him.
Officials from the Yeala city police said that after the woman took up the agitation, the police inspectors of the city and taluka police had visited her to convince that they were taking all the necessary steps to arrest sarpanch Pramod Patil at the earliest.
The police said that the sarpanch had applied for anticipatory bail at the sessions court which was rejected. However, he continues to elude the police and has approached the high court for his anticipatory bail.
Meanwhile, the victim's sister-in-law lodged a complaint with the Yeola taluka police station on Friday alleging that her husband was kidnapped by the goons of the sarpanch, for supporting the rape victim in lodging a complaint against the sarpanch.
The complainant said that her husband was kidnapped sometime between 7 pm and 9pm on Thursday. The police said the kidnapped person produced himself before the Chalisgaon police station in Jalgaon district on Friday morning, though he contended that he was not aware about who had kidnapped him.
On January 30, the victim had lodged a complaint at the Yeola taluka police station alleging that the sarpanch and his accomplice Santosh Gandale had raped her at a hotel in Yeola teshil about three months ago.
She kept mum for three months as the accused had threatened to kill her son and husband if she spoke about the incident to anyone. However, as their harassment continued and her husband got suspicious about it, the victim confided in him about the incident, after which a complaint was lodged with the police. Although the sarpanch's two accomplices in the crime have been arrested, the main accused is still at large.
Police inspector Surendra Shirsath informed that the search was on to trace the accused.
Saturday, March 9, 2013
College student held for attempt to rape six-year-old
Published: Saturday, Mar 9, 2013, 16:35 IST | Updated: Saturday, Mar 9, 2013, 16:36 IST
Place: Bhubaneswar | Agency: IANS
Odisha: A college student was arrested in Odisha for attempting to rape a six-year-old girl after luring her with chocolates, police said on Saturday.
Place: Bhubaneswar | Agency: IANS
Odisha: A college student was arrested in Odisha for attempting to rape a six-year-old girl after luring her with chocolates, police said on Saturday.
The girl was allegedly assaulted in Palasuni area of state capital Bhubaneswar on Thursday evening, but the incident only came to light after the girl narrated her ordeal to her parents a day later, inspector in charge of the 'mahila' (women) police station, Sarojini Nayak, said.
The boy, who looks like he might not yet be 18 years old, allegedly lured the girl while she was out of her house playing. He took the girl to a secluded spot and attempted to rape her. The girl escaped from his grasp and ran home.
Police arrested the boy after the victim's mother lodged a complaint.
Police have sent the victim for a medical examination. The age of the accused is also being determined, the police official said.
Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_college-student-held-for-attempt-to-rape-six-year-old_1809231
Public Pressure Mounts Over India's Anti-Rape Law Standstill
The Indian government is under fire from all political sides, after the cabinet level anti-rape law discussions stalled when interior and law ministries failed to reach a consensus in key areas.
The federal government requested the Justice Verma Committee to recommend changes in the laws that deal with crimes against women, in the wake of nationwide protests in the aftermath of the Delhi gang rape.
The panel recommended increasing the penalty from 7 years to 20 years, but stopped short of suggesting the death penalty.
According to media reports, the interior ministry and the law ministry are at an impasse over the issue of lowering the age of consent and the use of the word “rape”. It's been reported that the interior ministry wants the age of consent to be lowered from 18 to 16, but no consensus was achieved.
Speaking to media outside parliament, veteran Bollywood actress and lawmaker Jaya Bachchan stressed the accused had committed a criminal offence, regardless of their age.
[Jaya Bachchan, Veteran Actress and Lawmaker]:
"Whether the age is 18 or 16, of course they have loaded, that's what the Justice Verma has recommended. I appreciate that they have accepted his verdict, but the thing is, it is a criminal act and it should be judged as a criminal act and not just a rape."
In Mumbai city the leader of the main opposition party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, had harsh words of criticism for the impasse between the two ministries.
[Shaina NC, Leader of Bharatiya Janata Party]:
"It's an absolute paradox that you have the home (interior) ministry and the law ministry still debating on whether this bill should be passed or not. I think time is running out, the nation feels the anxiety, we have rape after rape. Unless there is fear of law, we will see these perpetrators of law continue."
New Delhi, with a burgeoning population of 16 million, has the unsavory reputation of being the country's “rape capital”, recording more rapes annually than any other Indian city.
The federal government requested the Justice Verma Committee to recommend changes in the laws that deal with crimes against women, in the wake of nationwide protests in the aftermath of the Delhi gang rape.
The panel recommended increasing the penalty from 7 years to 20 years, but stopped short of suggesting the death penalty.
According to media reports, the interior ministry and the law ministry are at an impasse over the issue of lowering the age of consent and the use of the word “rape”. It's been reported that the interior ministry wants the age of consent to be lowered from 18 to 16, but no consensus was achieved.
Speaking to media outside parliament, veteran Bollywood actress and lawmaker Jaya Bachchan stressed the accused had committed a criminal offence, regardless of their age.
[Jaya Bachchan, Veteran Actress and Lawmaker]:
"Whether the age is 18 or 16, of course they have loaded, that's what the Justice Verma has recommended. I appreciate that they have accepted his verdict, but the thing is, it is a criminal act and it should be judged as a criminal act and not just a rape."
In Mumbai city the leader of the main opposition party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, had harsh words of criticism for the impasse between the two ministries.
[Shaina NC, Leader of Bharatiya Janata Party]:
"It's an absolute paradox that you have the home (interior) ministry and the law ministry still debating on whether this bill should be passed or not. I think time is running out, the nation feels the anxiety, we have rape after rape. Unless there is fear of law, we will see these perpetrators of law continue."
New Delhi, with a burgeoning population of 16 million, has the unsavory reputation of being the country's “rape capital”, recording more rapes annually than any other Indian city.
Source: http://ntdtv.org/en/news/world/asia/2013-03-09/public-pressure-mounts-over-india-s-anti-rape-law-standstill.html
Friday, March 8, 2013
Timothy Spangler: India rape rage renewed
Delhi : Attack on girl, 7, rekindles outrage sparked by lethal assault on woman bus rider.
Violence has returned to the Indian capital, New Delhi. The alleged rape of a 7-year-old girl at her school has caused frustrated Indians to again vent their anger. Rampant violence against women remains a high-profile issue in the country.
The attack occurred in a working-class neighborhood, Mangolpuri, where schools often lack basic facilities. Police detained two teachers and a security guard in connection with these allegations. An examining doctor stated that the girl's injuries were consistent with having been raped. Residents of Mangolpuri launched violent protests.
Delhi police officers patrol on a road scattered with shattered glass during a protest against the rape of a 7-year-old girl in New Delhi, India, March 1, 2013. Police are investigating the rape inside a state-run school in the Indian capital. Angry mobs gathered at the hospital and threw stones at a nearby bus, shattering its windows.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO
ADVERTISEMENT
This latest atrocity comes at a time when Indians are increasingly concerned that their government is systematically failing to protect women. The vicious gang rape and murder in December of Jyoti Singh Pandey, 23, attacked while riding a bus in New Delhi, attracted global news coverage. Six men are being tried for the attack.
Stories of other attacks quickly filled Indian newspapers and websites. In a particularly gruesome incident last month, the bodies of three sisters, ages 6, 9 and 11, were found dumped in a well in Maharashtra state; each had been raped. It is believed that they were lured to their deaths with promises of food. Police initially stated that the deaths were accidental.
As a result of these atrocities, the issue of violence against women is gaining momentum as a public policy priority. Politicians are scrambling to be seen as reacting to these widespread concerns. In response to the rape of the 7-year-old student, New Delhi's governor has ordered that security around government schools be increased.
Unfortunately, although many proposals for improving laws to better protect women have been suggested since the horrific bus rape case first drove these concerns to the top of the legislative agenda, only a handful of changes have occurred. For example, a drive to criminalize rape within marriage so far has failed.
India is a colorful and vibrant country, but it is also a violent, dangerous place, especially for women. Prior to Jyoti's death, allegations of rape often resulted in few arrests and fewer convictions. In a particularly outrageous example last year, a schoolgirl was attacked on the street by approximately 50 men. Despite video footage of the sexual assaults, few of those identified in the video were arrested.
The media storm that erupted in December around Jyoti, however, has changed that, at least for awhile. Perhaps when these earlier attacks were restricted to impoverished communities or to migrants, they were easier for the Indian establishment to dismiss or ignore. Jyoti's rape and murder were different, occurring in a more affluent neighborhood. It suddenly became crystal-clear that there were no safe havens.
Changes in attitude concerning women and their roles in society are slowing occurring across India. As a result, celebrities advocating for change must do battle with staunch supporters of older, traditional ways.
The threats facing women are well-known to most in India, and until now have been accepted as an unavoidable and inevitable feature of Indian life. For example, India lacks an effective means to protect its children. Unsurprisingly, girls are disproportionately at risk, especially those whose lives are ground down by poverty and want.
Since December, many of the widespread assumptions about the place of women in Indian life and society are being questioned. Each subsequent story of sexual assault adds to the momentum that these debates have been building over the past three months. In both traditional and new media, these arguments are being made louder and louder. There is a growing recognition that significant changes are needed in order to ensure women's rights are respected.
India is undergoing extensive and fundamental changes, as economic development and high growth rates transform daily life. But the benefits of prosperity are not evenly spread between cities and rural areas, or between the upper classes and the working classes. Instead, grinding poverty exists alongside vast wealth. As a result, many Indians are enraged by the failure of public institutions to address the problems they face.
While India engages in a costly space race with its economic rival China, problems for its citizens continue to build. In the 1960s, the U.S. was able to fund both its quest to put a man on the moon and the "war on poverty" at the heart of President Lyndon Johnson's Great Society agenda because it had an economic growth rate adequate to support such grand endeavors. Of course, valid arguments could be made about the lasting impact of either program in contemporary America.
Today, India has the resources to make these concerns over violence against women a top priority. The attack on the 7-year-old schoolgirl in New Delhi is one more example of the high cost ultimately paid when those most vulnerable in society are left exposed and unprotected.
Orange County writer and attorney Timothy Spangler hosts "The Bigger Picture with Timothy Spangler," Sundays, 10 p.m.-midnight on KRLA 870/AM.
Source: http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/women-498809-india-rape.html
Women's Day: Raped India--Which rape horror to report?
Written by: Maitreyee Published: Friday, March 8, 2013, 13:00 [IST]
It was something unseen and unheard before, when protesters stood firm on their feet against police brutalities and expressed their anger and dismay over rise in crime against women in the national capital. It was just few months back. It was December, when the horrific Delhi gang-rape and murder of a 23-year-old paramedical student in a moving bus woke up all from their slumber. They came out on the streets and demanded strictest of punishment against rapists. Government bowed under pressure and formed the Justice JS Verma committee to come up with strict laws against sexual assault. But, now due to differences of opinion regarding the use of words "rape" or "sexual assault", the passage of anti-rape law in the Parliament has been delayed. Is dealing with crime against women only about bringing strict laws? Or enforcement of existing laws? Government's attempt to portray the image that it is serious to tackle the issue of rape against women is like "putting old wine in a new bottle". India does not needs new laws to tackle rising numbers of sex attacks on women. It needs stricter implementation of existing laws.
Why are rapists given just few years of imprisonment and set free? Why is death penalty not considered to punish those culprits who perpetrate such heinous crime? Otherwise, if government has been serious enough, the rise in number of rape cases would have been curtailed after the horrific Delhi gang-rape and the protests that followed it. But, unfortunately their is no dip in the number of rape cases reported every day. Be it the rape and murder of three minor siblings in Bhandara or last night's attack on a woman journalist in the national capital. Everyday shame and horror greet India. And, most of the cases remain unsolved. Disappointing news headlines often scream that there are no headway or breakthrough in solving cases. And, those few who are caught by the police manage to escape without getting any punishment or jail for few years.
Times are difficult. And, in such situations, harsher punishment should be given to culprits who engage in such ghastly crime. Otherwise, where is the fear to deter men from committing crime like rapes? Perhaps there is no fear in the minds of pervert people who violate women's dignity. That is why rape accused Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson PJ Kurien is adamant enough not to leave his post, in spite of repeated demands from the opposition. The story of Suryanelli gang-rape victim is a perfect example how easily powerful people can get away by committing crimes.
It has been more than 16 years and the victim is still waiting for justice. In 1996, a group of around 40 men raped a 16-year-old school-going girl for 40 days. The victim, who is now 33 years of age, says that Kurien was also involved in raping her. The victim has named Kurien as one of the accused in the horrific incident. Like Suryanelli victim many women in India are waiting for justice, and yes many are afraid that they too might be raped and have to suffer for their whole life. Where is justice in India for women? International women's day is nothing but a sham for Indian women.
Read more at: http://news.oneindia.in/feature/2013/womens-day-raped-india-which-rape-horror-to-report-1166746.html
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Further attacks on women in Delhi raise doubts over crackdown Incidents follow measures such as fast-track courts after gang rape and murder of student sparked outcry
Indian women protest in New Delhi after the gang rape and murder of a student in December. Photograph: Dar Yasin/AP
A recent spate of attacks on women in Delhi has renewed fears over the safety of women in the Indian capital and raised doubts over the efficacy of reforms introduced since the gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old physiotherapy student in the city last December.
Two women are reported to have been raped by multiple attackers in moving cars in separate incidents in recent days. A third woman was robbed and then raped by two men after taking a motorised rickshaw in the satellite city of Ghaziabad at the weekend.
Four victims under 18 were also assaulted in incidents reported to the police over the past four days, according to local media. Only a fraction of such attacks are ever reported in India.
The gang rape and murder in December shocked the nation. Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets in India calling for widespread legal and policing reforms as well as a wholesale shift in cultural attitudes towards women.
A series of measures – such as fast-track courts for sex crimes, harsher punishments for convicted offenders and gender training for policemen – have been introduced since the attack by authorities. The government was heavily criticised for its early lack of sympathy for protesters.
The finance minister last week announced a new fund of £120m to improve the safety and empowerment of India's women.
But reporting a 124% rise in reported rape cases in Delhi since the attack and a nearly sixfold rise in cases of harassment, the Hindustan Times newspaper said "the harsh reality is Delhi hasn't changed for the better, it has become worse".
Police officials say the rise is the result of officers taking complaints more seriously and a broader awareness in the city of what constitutes harassment. Five men and a juvenile are on trial for the attack on the student in December, which took place in a private bus moving on crowded roads on a Sunday evening.
The adults accused face the death sentence if convicted. Experts have suggested a variety of causes for the new wave of violence against women ranging from stereotypes of aggressive masculinity projected by Bollywood films to a clash of cultures as millions of men raised in rural areas arrive in cities where women enjoy greater freedoms. Conservatives blamed "westernisation", opposing a broadly rural, supposedly authentic India with an increasingly urban, globalised one.
Recent research in Delhi has revealed more mundane causes for high levels of violence and harassment. The lack of safe public transport in Indian cities is one major factor with "eve teasing", as sexual harassment is euphemistically known, endemic on overcrowded buses. A lack of toilet facilities in slum areas which forces tens of millions of women to use open ground at night is another.
A commission set up to examine possible measures to combat the wave of violence against women received tens of thousands of suggestions from the general public. In the southern state of Kerala officials areconsidering the distribution of "electronic bangles" which could send a signal to the nearest police station in the event of an assault.
There are some signs of change. Jason Temasfeld, an activist campaigning against sexual harassment in India's commercial capital of Mumbai, said there had been a "drastic change" in awareness in recent months. "Women know much more what to do and about their rights. And other people are much more vocal in reacting to harassment when they witness it. Even the police are more responsive," he told the Guardian.
The victim of the December attack was dubbed "Nirbhaya" or "the fearless one" by media in India for fighting back during the assault and for recording a statement despite massive internal injuries before she died. She will be posthumously awarded the US state department's international women of courage award on Friday by Michelle Obama, it was announced earlier this week.
19-yr-old school girl gangraped in moving auto
GHAZIABAD: When she flagged down a share auto-rickshaw, little did she know that she would be gagged, beaten, gang-raped, robbed and then dumped by three men near the busy Shipra Mall, an important landmark in Indirapuram.
The 19-year-old woman did not feel uncomfortable to get into a shared auto-rickshaw, as it's a common practice in the area.
The men who raped the woman later confessed to the police that had stolen the vehicle.
NDTV quoted the woman saying that she cried for help for two hours but no one came forward to help her.
The channel also says that the auto rickshaw passed through six police posts.
Two of the three men involved in the incident have been arrested. "All three are in their twenties," Superintendent of Police Ghaziabad rural Jagdish Sharma said.
The class 12 student, who was raped by three men, had fought hard to save herself from her assailants, police here said.
Police claim the victim, who was on her way home after meeting a friend, was forced by two of the men - who posed as passengers - to sit between them. They gagged her once the vehicle developed some mechanical fault near Khoda colony, 2 km from the mall, and stopped.
Fault taken care of, the three-wheeler sped towards Ghaziabad city. And once it reached Galand, the men dragged the woman out, beat her up when she resisted, and then took turns to rape her, a police officer told HT.
Around 10.30pm, the three men fled the spot, but only after they had robbed the victim of whatever cash she had on her person and her mobile phone.
In her statement to the police, the girl mentioned that the rod on the window had broken; she also informed them that the vehicle had a black tarpaulin sheet that covered the windows and served as a curtain of sorts.
The girl had earlier resisted a diversion in the route of the vehicle - while the men had initially told her they were headed towards Delhi, they later took a U-turn and drove in the opposite direction.
When the girl questioned the change of direction in the vehicle, two of the men sat beside her and gagged her.
After raping her in the vehicle, the men dragged the 19-year-old out into the fields near Bankey Bihari Dental College and again raped her, taking turns.
The vehicle's owner, Prem Singh, said three men in an inebriated condition had taken the vehicle from its driver, Pintu, in broad daylight on March 2.
The men had been driving to Delhi in the vehicle, and had stopped at Khoda for some repairs to the tempo. At around 8.30 p.m., they were near Shipra Mall.
After committing the crime, the men left the girl in the fields and fled.
They took with them Rs.400 that the girl had with her, her ATM card and mobile phone.
Source: http://in.news.yahoo.com/19-yr-old-school-girl-gangraped-in-moving-auto-114004900.html
The 19-year-old woman did not feel uncomfortable to get into a shared auto-rickshaw, as it's a common practice in the area.
The men who raped the woman later confessed to the police that had stolen the vehicle.
NDTV quoted the woman saying that she cried for help for two hours but no one came forward to help her.
The channel also says that the auto rickshaw passed through six police posts.
Two of the three men involved in the incident have been arrested. "All three are in their twenties," Superintendent of Police Ghaziabad rural Jagdish Sharma said.
The class 12 student, who was raped by three men, had fought hard to save herself from her assailants, police here said.
Police claim the victim, who was on her way home after meeting a friend, was forced by two of the men - who posed as passengers - to sit between them. They gagged her once the vehicle developed some mechanical fault near Khoda colony, 2 km from the mall, and stopped.
Fault taken care of, the three-wheeler sped towards Ghaziabad city. And once it reached Galand, the men dragged the woman out, beat her up when she resisted, and then took turns to rape her, a police officer told HT.
Around 10.30pm, the three men fled the spot, but only after they had robbed the victim of whatever cash she had on her person and her mobile phone.
In her statement to the police, the girl mentioned that the rod on the window had broken; she also informed them that the vehicle had a black tarpaulin sheet that covered the windows and served as a curtain of sorts.
The girl had earlier resisted a diversion in the route of the vehicle - while the men had initially told her they were headed towards Delhi, they later took a U-turn and drove in the opposite direction.
When the girl questioned the change of direction in the vehicle, two of the men sat beside her and gagged her.
After raping her in the vehicle, the men dragged the 19-year-old out into the fields near Bankey Bihari Dental College and again raped her, taking turns.
The vehicle's owner, Prem Singh, said three men in an inebriated condition had taken the vehicle from its driver, Pintu, in broad daylight on March 2.
The men had been driving to Delhi in the vehicle, and had stopped at Khoda for some repairs to the tempo. At around 8.30 p.m., they were near Shipra Mall.
After committing the crime, the men left the girl in the fields and fled.
They took with them Rs.400 that the girl had with her, her ATM card and mobile phone.
Source: http://in.news.yahoo.com/19-yr-old-school-girl-gangraped-in-moving-auto-114004900.html
India Rape: Girl Kidnapped And Attacked
By Alex Rossi, Asia Correspondent
A three-year-old girl is in hospital recovering from serious
injuries after she was kidnapped and gang raped in southern India.
The girl is currently under observation in intensive care.
She was sleeping beside her mother on a pavement in Tirur,
in Kerala, when she was kidnapped on Monday night.
The family - whose members are homeless - only noticed she
was missing on Tuesday morning.
The girl was found unconscious by students on their way to
school.
One of the students told a local newspaper that: "She
had a high fever and she had ants crawling all over her body."
The attack took place in Tirur, in Kerala, southern India
Doctors at the hospital where the girl is being treated say
it will take her months to recover.
The attack took place in Tirur, in
Kerala, southern India
Despite outrage in India over the Delhi gang rape in
December, many more cases of rape are being reported across the country.
The government is now trying to introduce tougher anti-rape
laws.
In Delhi, four rape cases a day have been reported since the
beginning of this year, according to police figures. The average for 2012 was
two rapes a day.
Campaigners believe the rise is partly the result of more
women coming forward to report crimes of sexual violence.
The gang rape and murder of the Delhi student has provoked a
national debate and shattered what was once a taboo subject - violence against
women.
Nonetheless, women are increasingly scared to travel alone
at night in the capital.
The city's only taxi service for women - which uses only
women drivers - has told Sky News they have been inundated with calls.
Driver Kushi Prajapati says: "After the Delhi gang rape
we've been busy day and night. Women feel very unsafe and they use our taxi
service for safety reasons."
Two arrested over India Ghaziabad 'gang rape'
Police in a suburb of the Indian capital, Delhi, have
arrested two men in connection with the alleged gang rape of a 19-year-old girl
on Saturday.
The girl
was travelling in an auto rickshaw in Ghaziabad when at least two of her
co-passengers allegedly raped her, a senior police official said.Police say
they are looking for a third suspect.The gang rape and murder of a student on a
Delhi bus in December sparked protests across India.Reports in the Indian media
said that the teenage girl had taken an auto rickshaw home on Monday evening
near a busy mall in Indirapuram in Ghaziabad. Details of what happened next are
still sketchy.
The girl
apparently told the police that she was gagged, raped, robbed and thrown out of
the vehicle near a highway. Last week, there were violent protests in Delhi
after reports that a seven-year-old girl was sexually assaulted at a school.
The principal and four employees of the municipal school have been suspended in
connection with the case. There has also been angry debate in the parliament
over last month's rape and murder of three sisters, aged six to 11, in the
state of Maharashtra.
No-one
has been arrested and opposition MPs have criticised the slow pace of the
investigation. The issue of sexual violence against women and girls has been
under intense scrutiny in India after the rape and murder of a student on a
Delhi bus in December led to widespread protests. Six people have been charged
over the case which shocked the nation. Five of them are on trial in a
specially convened fast-track court and they face the death penalty. The sixth
accused, a minor, is being tried in a juvenile court. He could be sentenced to
three years in a reform facility. All the six accused have pleaded not guilty.
Another rape in Delhi-NCR: Call centre employee abducted, gangraped in Gurgaon
Ajay Kumar
Gurgaon, Thursday, March 7, 2013 | 12:29 IST
Gurgaon, Thursday, March 7, 2013 | 12:29 IST
In a shocking reminder of how vulnerable women are in the National Capital Region, a 24-year-old employee of Convergys BPO was abducted and gang-raped by two unidentified men in a moving car in Gurgaon on Wednesday evening.
According to the police, the woman had just finished her afternoon shift at 7 pm and was waiting for a cab outside her office at Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, when the incident occurred.
A car stopped near her and as she went closer thinking it was her office cab, she was abducted at gunpoint from the service lane. The accused drove for more than two hours on MG road and adjoining roads as they took turn to rape her. The victim was dumped around 10 pm near Old Gurgaon bus stand.
The distraught woman made a call to her office, which in turn informed the police.
According to the police, the woman had just finished her afternoon shift at 7 pm and was waiting for a cab outside her office at Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, when the incident occurred.
A car stopped near her and as she went closer thinking it was her office cab, she was abducted at gunpoint from the service lane. The accused drove for more than two hours on MG road and adjoining roads as they took turn to rape her. The victim was dumped around 10 pm near Old Gurgaon bus stand.
The distraught woman made a call to her office, which in turn informed the police.
Although the victim initially hesitated to register a complaint and undergo medical in Gurgaon tests, she was convinced later. On her complaint, the police have registered a case at DLF Phase-2 police station against unknown people. A medical examination has confirmed rape, police officials said.
"The victim was waiting for her office cab at service lane of the E-way, and mistook the Wagon R approaching towards her as her office cab. An unidentified person in the car pulled her inside and sped away," said Alok Mittal, police commissioner of Gurgaon.
The car occupants held her hostage at gun point and drove towards MG road via E-way.
The woman is a native of Hyderabad and lives in South Delhi with her husband. Police sources said the victim was initially too horrified to register a complaint, and had not deposed before the magistrate till late evening.
Ironically, the incident took place days after the IT-BPO industry led by Nasscom finished the celebration of Women Safety Month in February. Also, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi is visiting a village in Gurgaon on Friday and the security has been tightened in the Millennium City.
After the December 16 gang rape incident in the Capital, Nasscom had decided to celebrate February as Women Safety Month in solidarity with women. About 32 per cent of the workforce in Indian IT-BPO industry is women. At least 50 different programs, including the identification of less safer routes taken by the BPO employees, were organized by Nasscom in different campuses.
Earlier this year, the Delhi Police had requested the ministry of home affairs, to give them powers to arrest the cab drivers flouting rules related to safety of women under section 133 (1) b of the CrPC.
"The victim was waiting for her office cab at service lane of the E-way, and mistook the Wagon R approaching towards her as her office cab. An unidentified person in the car pulled her inside and sped away," said Alok Mittal, police commissioner of Gurgaon.
The car occupants held her hostage at gun point and drove towards MG road via E-way.
The woman is a native of Hyderabad and lives in South Delhi with her husband. Police sources said the victim was initially too horrified to register a complaint, and had not deposed before the magistrate till late evening.
Ironically, the incident took place days after the IT-BPO industry led by Nasscom finished the celebration of Women Safety Month in February. Also, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi is visiting a village in Gurgaon on Friday and the security has been tightened in the Millennium City.
After the December 16 gang rape incident in the Capital, Nasscom had decided to celebrate February as Women Safety Month in solidarity with women. About 32 per cent of the workforce in Indian IT-BPO industry is women. At least 50 different programs, including the identification of less safer routes taken by the BPO employees, were organized by Nasscom in different campuses.
Earlier this year, the Delhi Police had requested the ministry of home affairs, to give them powers to arrest the cab drivers flouting rules related to safety of women under section 133 (1) b of the CrPC.
Source: http://m.indiatoday.in/story/gangrape-in-moving-car-call-centre-employee-abducted-in-gurgaon/1/256813.html
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
17-year-old girl raped at gunpoint
ETAH: A 17-year-old girl was
allegedly raped at gunpoint by
two youths in Budpura village, police said today.
The FIR filed by the minor girl's father states that in the incident which occurred on March 2, two village youths, Subedar and Nandoo, forcibly dragged his daughter to a secluded spot where they took turns to rape her after gagging her and holding her at gunpoint. The duo are absconding.
Police said that the victim was found in an unconscious state close to where she was raped.
In another incident which has come to light in the area involves a young girl who was allegedly kidnapped six years ago from Sahawar area and held captive in Ballabhgarh area of the district where the accused, one Chandravan, repeatedly raped her.
The girl, who has given birth to a baby girl, however, managed to escape from her captor and returned to her parents.
With the abductor allegedly looking to carry her off again, the parents of the girl lodged an FIR against him, police said, adding that no arrests had been made in the case so far.
In a third case of attempted rape, reported in the district on March 4, a woman was attacked inside her house by a youth who, however, was forced to flee as the victim raised alarm seeking help.
In a similar case, also on March 4, a 13-year-old student of class VIII was attacked inside her house by a youth who has been named in an FIR over the incident.
The FIR filed by the minor girl's father states that in the incident which occurred on March 2, two village youths, Subedar and Nandoo, forcibly dragged his daughter to a secluded spot where they took turns to rape her after gagging her and holding her at gunpoint. The duo are absconding.
Police said that the victim was found in an unconscious state close to where she was raped.
In another incident which has come to light in the area involves a young girl who was allegedly kidnapped six years ago from Sahawar area and held captive in Ballabhgarh area of the district where the accused, one Chandravan, repeatedly raped her.
The girl, who has given birth to a baby girl, however, managed to escape from her captor and returned to her parents.
With the abductor allegedly looking to carry her off again, the parents of the girl lodged an FIR against him, police said, adding that no arrests had been made in the case so far.
In a third case of attempted rape, reported in the district on March 4, a woman was attacked inside her house by a youth who, however, was forced to flee as the victim raised alarm seeking help.
In a similar case, also on March 4, a 13-year-old student of class VIII was attacked inside her house by a youth who has been named in an FIR over the incident.
Friday, February 22, 2013
India reeling after rape and murder of 3 young sisters
Altaf Qadri / AP
Protesters near the
Indian parliament Thursday complain that a new sexual violence law is
inadequate. Their signs call for the removal of the deputy chairman of the
parliament's upper house, P.J. Kurien, who is facing rape allegations.
By
Ashok Sharma, The Associated Press
NEW DELHI -- Police
were searching villages in western India on Friday for suspects in the rape and
killing of three young sisters, as Indians still angry over the fatal gang rape of a woman on a New Delhi bus in December
face another heinous sexual attack.
The bodies of the
sisters — ages 7, 9 and 11 — were found Feb. 16 in a village well in Bhandara
district in Maharashtra after they had gone missing from school two days
earlier, said police officer Abhinav Deshmukh. The area is more than 600 miles
south of New Delhi, the capital.
The victims' mother
said police did not take the case seriously and did nothing for several days
until villagers held protests. Deshmukh said Friday
that 10 teams of 30 investigators were working on the case and that he was
confident they would find the killers soon. Police first dismissed
the deaths as accidental, the Press Trust of India news agency reported. The
girls' mother accused police of a shoddy investigation and said they did
nothing for two days. Enraged villagers forced shops to close, burned tires and
blocked a national highway passing in the area for hours earlier this week,
demanding justice.
Police eventually
registered a case of rape and murder after a post-mortem of the girls found
that they had been sexually abused and brutally killed, PTI said. One police officer has
been suspended for not acting promptly, Indian Heavy Industries Minister Praful
Patel, who represents Bhandara district in Parliament, said Thursday. Cabinet Minister
Manish Tewari called the killings a "very, very heinous assault" and
said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was sending 1 million rupees ($18,300) to
the girls' family.
The case has horrified
Indians two months after they were outraged by the gang rape and
killing of a young woman on a moving New Delhi bus.
The gang rape sparked
nationwide protests about India's treatment of women and spurred the government
to hurry through a new package of laws to protect them.
The gang rape victim
and her male friend, who also was badly beaten up in the attack, were dumped
naked on the roadside, and the woman died from her injuries two weeks later in a Singapore
hospital. Five men are being tried on rape and murder charges in that case,
while a sixth, who is underage, is in juvenile court.
A new law enacted by
the government has increased the prison sentences for rape from the existing
seven to 10 years to a maximum of 20 years. It also provides for the death
penalty in extreme cases of rape that result in death or leave the victim in a
coma.
Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/22/17056657-india-reeling-after-rape-and-murder-of-3-young-sisters?lite
Friday, January 4, 2013
Statistics: Rape Conviction Rates Across India
By Saptarishi Dutta and Aditi Malhotra
A graphic showing the conviction rate of rape cases in India in 2011.
A “Rape Map of India,” posted on India Real Time Thursday looked at the number of reported rape cases in India in 2011.
Today, we are adding data from the National Crime Records Bureau on the rate of conviction in rape cases in each state around the country. Some 15,423 rape cases were decided countrywide in 2011.
Of the total number of cases that made to court, the overall rate of convictions stand at 26.4%, or 4,072 convictions while 11,351 acquittals were recorded. These included cases pending from previous years as well.
In 2010, 14,263 cases of rape were decided, with the accused being convicted in 3,788 cases, or 26.6%.
According to the data, the small northeastern state of Manipur recorded a 100% conviction rate in rape trials in 2011.
India is far from unique in its overall conviction rate, which many activists deplore as low. This 2008 Washington Post story looks at the low rape conviction rate in the U.K.
Note: The graphic excludes Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep Islands.
Source: http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2013/01/04/statistics-conviction-rates-for-rape-across-india/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)