The country knew that it’s certainly not on the path of social growth when the reports of rape of a Dalit student, Jisha in Kerala surfaced in the media. The 29 year old law student was brutally raped and physically mutilated before being murdered on April 28th in Perambavoor, Kerala. Within a week, the report of rape of another 19 year old Dalit girl who was a nursing student emerged from Varkala, a district in Kerala.
A huge gathering of people along with the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) participated in a protest at Kerala House today against the inefficiency of the authorities and the carelessness and insensitivity with which the case has been handled. They raised their voice against the increasing brutality and offences not only against women but also against the underprivileged sectors of the society. The protest focused on how such crimes are nothing but an “exercise of naked power” on women in the patriarchal society of today.
The attention to this case has been highly inadequate where relevant investigations were undertaken only with a toxic lag. Postmortem reports vividly explain how henious the crime was where Jisha’s body was manhandled and mutilated before being stabbed to death. The local police failed to cordon off the area of crime and no substantial leads in the case have been discovered up till now. Despite Jisha’s mother approaching the police a few days before the rape and murder sensing a threat to their safety, no support was provided to her and her daughter by the local police. The police also failed to file an FIR for more than five days post Jisha’s death.
The protesters demanded a speedy investigation and arrest of the culprits along with the implementation of the report of the Justice Verma Commission which focused on the reforming and invigorating anti-rape law after the Delhi Gang Rape Case of December 2012. A memorandum was also submitted to the resident commissioner of Kerala House.
Image Credits and Inputs: Students’ Federation of India (SFI)
Arushi Pathak
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