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Women Activists Gangraped (fwd)

Date: Tue, 10 Oct 1995 08:47:22 -0500 (CDT)
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From: Srinivas Budaraju <budaraju@luther.che.wisc.edu>
To: India Alert-Madison Mailing List <india-alert@cs.wisc.edu>
Subject: Women Activists Gangraped (fwd)
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From: Urg@inbb.gn.apc.org
Newsgroups: alt.india.progressive
Subject: Women Activists Gangraped
Date: 6 Oct 1995 08:04:48 GMT

This message was from ADRIAN D'COSTA to ALL
originally in conference womenforum
and was forwarded to you by SUJEET
                    ----------------------------------------
This message was given to me by Coastal Poor Development Action Network,
Madras to reach more people and groups in order to show solidarity towards
the cause of security for Women.  Could this message be forwarded to all. 

Information can be obtained through my E-mail
ADRIAN.D'COSTA.LWMAA.NANDANET.COM
       or
Contact Person at COPDANET
Mrs Joyce Chabra  or Mr Ramesh
59 East Mada Church Road
Royapuram
Madras - 600 013
Phone : 044-5954183
Fax   : 044-5950052

TWO WOMEN ACTIVISTS GANGRAPED ON 7TH SEPTEMBER 1995

Women's Initiative for Development Education had sent a letter to COPDANET
(Coastal Poor Development Action Network, Madras) informing about the
gangrape of two of their women co-ordinators by four youth. They have
invited us to join the struggle and show solidarity by: 

- Conducting Press conference against rape
- Organising Protest Rallies
- Sending Telegrams to the Chief Minister of Orissa and the Prime
  Minister.

We would like this to be sent on Internet so that more people are informed
about this Violence against Women and more people show their solidarity
for the cause of security for women and the opposition to such acts of
crime. 

Letters are also encouraged.  Please mark a copy to WIDE, Post Box No 9,
Jatni - 752050, District Khurda, Orissa.  Ph : 0674-490516, Fax
0674-20439. 

Text of Letter Received (slightly modified for syntax) is as follows

-----------Text----------

Dear Friends

We the WIDE/THREAD team members with great shock and distress would like
to share with you that two of our Women Co-ordinators were gangraped on
7th September (Thursday) around 4 p.m in Khuntamal village of Sahaspur
Grampanchayat in Laikera Block of Jharsuguda District in Orissa just 1 km
from their base. 

They were attacked by four youth, dragged into a lonely place at knife
point and gangraped.  They were also beaten up mercilessly by the boys.
These rapists have also taken the nude photographs of the women.  They
threatened to kill them if they talked to anybody and face dire
consequences if they didn't leave the area within 24 hours of the
incident.  (Refer Indian Express, Vijayanagaram edition dated 13-9-95)

The women ignored the threats and decided to fight against the torture and
humiliation and informed us over phone on 9th September around 10'O clock
in the morning. 

On getting the news, shocked and distraught, we rushed to the aid of the
women. It was a heart-breaking experience to listen to them with their
pain, agony, anger and helplessness.  It took them hours to narrate the
whole incident and they broke down and cried several times during their 
narration.

Prior to our reaching the Laikera Block, the women went to the local
police out post on 9th September evening to lodge the First Information
Report (FIR), but the stationed police personnel expressed their inability
to accept it. 

Next morning we went together to the Laikera Police Station around 9.30
a.m. to lodge the FIR; to our suprise, it took more than 3 hours to file
the FIR at the Police Station. 

Our harassment and and humiliation did not end there.  As per the Police
Instruction when the women were sent for medical examination to Jharsuguda
District Head Quarter hospital on 10th and 11th September, the Chief
District Medical Officer (CDMO) referred them to a Lady Doctor who refused
to attend to the case.  For reasons unknown to us the result of the
medical tests were not furnished even after 4 days.  So, the Police
ordered another round of medical tests for the women in Burla Medical
College on 12th & 14 September.  This added injury to the already
psychological & physically affected victims.  We are informed that the
results of the medical tests conducted in Burla Medical College have
confirmed the crime. 

Now that the boys are arrested.  We do apprehend that -

-  The evidence, especially the camera film could be tampered to prove
   the case a false one

-  Pressure may be mounted upon to either transfer the investigating
   police & judiciary officals elsewhere or release the culprits
   on bail

-  Submission of the charge-sheet could be deliberately prolonged for
   more than 3 months to help the culprits to get released on bail

We do hope you would definitely agree with us that this incident is not
an isolated one.  Maybe it is one among the very few where voice was
raised against rape and demand is made for justice.

When women from the whole World were busy on 7th September in Beijing,
discussing the Women's issues & problems, two of our fellow Community
members in this part of the country were brutally gangraped.

DO WE HAVE COURAGE AND COMMITMENT TO STAND BY THESE WOMEN AND THEREBY
EMPOWER OURSELVES TO LIVE WITH SELF-ESTEEM????

As a mark of protest and demand for the justice the WIDE-initiated tribal
women federations in 20 blocks are going on a protest rally on 30th
September at their Block level and 5th October (Thursday) is going to be
observed as a Black Day in the State Capital to compel the state
administration to take immediate action on our following demands:-

-  Immediate submission of charge-sheet in Jharsuguda Court
-  Culprits need to be punished with Non-bailable warrants
-  The concerned investigating police and judiciary officials in
   Jharsuguda District cannot be transferred elsewhere before the case
   is finalised.
-  Investigation be mounted to find evidence in the boys' action for
   possible pronography
-  Suspension of the careless and misbehaving doctor
-  Tribal women home-gaurd for each tribal village
-  Change of law for more stringent punishment for rape.

We at this moment of struggle for the cause, sincerely invite and expect
your solidarity by:-

-  Organising protest rally against the above cited incident on 30th
   September in your place involving your women's  groups or observing 5th
   October as a BLACK DAY and conducting a press-conference against Rape
-  Send as many telegrams as possible to the following addresses:-

Mr Hemananda Biswal
Hon'ble Deputy Chief Minister of Orissa
Secretariat Building, Bhubaneswar, Orissa

Mr J B Pattanaik
Hon'ble Chief Minister of Orissa
Secretariat Building, Bhubaneswar, Orissa

Mr P V Narasimha Rao
Hon'ble Prime Minister
New Delhi.

The model telegram is:-

"WE CONDEMN THE RAPE OF WOMEN ACTIVISTS IN LAIKERA BLOCK.  EARLY
DISPOSAL OF CASE, SAFETY OF EVIDENCES AND CBI ENQUIRY ARE DEMANDED".

Please send also letter to the above mentioned addresses with a copy
marked to WIDE.  This will help us gather evidence of support from 
various NGOs who are opposed to such dastardly acts of violence against 
women and who stand with us in demanding adequate security for women.

Yours sincerely

sd------
for WIDE TEAM

-------------End Text-----------
| |drian
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cc: Sumeet Bhatt [73313.2356@compuserve.com]
    humanscap
    T.S. Mehta [tmehta@aleph.win-uk.net]
    Ravi Subramaniam [subra@hbcse.tifr.res.in]

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