Speak Up, Shut Down

How the system defeats a gang rape survivor

- Shahina K K

A few cops idled near the crime scene, when we arrived at Pappanad village, around 25 km from Thanjavur town, on August 24. It was a dilapidated shed, with a bench in the centre, surrounded by thick grass. The area was unkempt, littered with debris and beer bottles lay scattered. The grass around the shed had been trimmed following a tragic gang rape less than a fortnight ago.

The small, bare, rundown structure belied the horrific series of events that had transpired here, when a 23-year-old woman had been brutally assaulted by six men just 10 days ago. The details were chilling: she had been forcibly held down on the bench, beaten with an empty beer bottle and physically overpowered into silence. The shed loomed beside the modest two-room house where the survivor’s father slept, oblivious, as six men assaulted his daughter.

Her father opened the door. He appeared fatigued and worried. He spoke very little. And when he did, it was in a hushed tone. The reluctance to talk to a stranger was obvious. Wait for my son in-law, he says.

Senthil arrives shortly. He is the husband of the survivor’s sister. Senthil leads us to the survivor’s refuge, a tiny room where she sat on the bare floor. Despite her evident exhaustion, she managed a wan smile and offered me a chair. Only 10 days had passed since the brutal attack. Her wounds were raw, but not visible. As she began to speak, the story unfolded—how a system defeats a woman who gathers the courage to speak up. Her story is an answer to those who blame victims for ‘not reporting (the crime) on time’ and raise countless questions challenging the credibility of a rape survivor.

Despite being brutally attacked by a gang of men, she was brave enough to tell her father and brother-in-law what had happened to her immediately after reaching home. She was brave enough to go to the nearby police station to report the crime with no delay. But her bravery was dismissed.