COURAGE UNDER DURESS - A SORDID SAGA
The walls are plagued by seepage, the small bed is unkempt, the musty sheets are crumpled. The lone window, obscured by a layer of dust, struggles to invite sunlight. It’s a dark room where the silence echoes the whispers of her silent struggle.
But, one day, she decided she would be silent no more.
She is 15 years old, a Class 11 student at a government girls’ school in a village in Jind, in the heart of rural Haryana. Her school was meant to give her the path to an education, and a better life. Instead, for four years, the man who led that school — a serial sexual offender — preyed on her. The principal was powerful, and she was afraid of social stigma. When she confided in her parents, they told her they’d stop her education if she revealed the truth.
She was not the only one.
In the seven years that 56-year-old Kartar Singh was principal of the school, there were several other victims. And on August 31, 15 targets of his predatory behaviour banded together to write a five-page letter addressed to the most powerful offices in the country -- the President of India, the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice of India, the Haryana governor, and the state education minister.
“We were chosen through the CCTV’s installed in our classes. The most beautiful, or the most vulnerable, were picked by him and summoned to his room. Some were molested, others blackmailed. Some were sexually harassed. The threat of being expelled or shamed was used to keep us quiet,” said the letter, scrawled in Hindi, in black ink, across five white sheets. A desperate cry for help.
Denne historien er fra November 24, 2023-utgaven av Hindustan Times.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra November 24, 2023-utgaven av Hindustan Times.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Palestinian PM Resigns Citing 'New Reality' Of War In Gaza
The United States and other powers have called for a reformed Palestinian Authority to take charge of all Palestinian territories after the end of war
Future Perfect: The Kids Are All Right
Gill and Jurel hold out promise by simplifying a challenging chase to help India seal series
Akshay feels 'blessed' to have worked with OG Ramayan cast
Director Akshay K Agarwal shot a music video, Humare Ram Aaye Hai, with the cast of the 1987 TV show, Ramayanactors Arun Govil, Dipika Chikhlia and Sunil Lahri - in Ayodhya recently.
Musk's firm gets nod for Sat Net; joins Jio, Bharti
Starlink, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, has been allowed to offer satellite broadband services in India, two officials aware of the development said.
A temple, 169 years in the making
Through decades of design and reworks, hurdles in engineering and construction, HT pieces together how the grandeur of the Ram Temple was reclaimed
'Political interference' forces Vihari to quit Andhra cricket
After Andhra bowed out of the Ranji Trophy at the quarter-final stage with a four-run defeat to Madhya Pradesh in Indore on Monday, senior batter Hanuma Vihari launched a scathing attack on the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA), saying he will never turn up for the state again.
Shafali, Kapp lead Capitals to a 9-wicket win over Warriorz
A blazing fifty by Shafali Verma (64₹, 43 balls) helped Delhi Capitals make a mockery of a target of 120 and open their account in the second edition of the Women's Premier League (WPL).
Making 'unbelievable things believable', the Ayhika way
The India No. 7 was an inspired pick for the world team event and she repaid the faith, beating the Chinese world No.1
'Connected TVs to reach 45 mn by 2024-end in India'
With improvement in broadband penetration, Indian households are increasingly opting for connected or addressable TVs.
India chip strategy makes progress as $21 billion in proposals received
The Indian government, after years of watching from the sidelines of the chips race, now has to evaluate $21 billion of semiconductor proposals and divvy up taxpayer support between foreign chipmakers, local champions or some combination of the two.