A Woman Makes Shocking And Unprecedented Allegations Of Abuse By 143 Persons
By A Special Correspondent
First publised on 2020-08-22 17:39:20
About the Author
A 25-year-old woman has lodged a complaint with the Punjagutta police station in Hyderabad alleging that 143 persons have sexually abused her over a period of time. The woman, who is divorced, has also alleged that her husbandâs relatives also abused her before her divorce. The woman has provided the list of the 143 persons (the names include some women too) and the Hyderabad Police have filed a 42 page FIR. They have sent the woman for medical examination and will now call all the accused persons for questioning. The accused have been charged with rape, outraging the modesty of a woman and under other sections of the IPC and the SC&ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The allegations made by the woman are shocking and
unprecedented. While there have been cases of sexual abuse of women by multiple
persons over a period of time, this is the first time that 143 persons have
been charged for the crime against a single woman. The woman has alleged that
the offenders came from such diverse backgrounds as political,
student leaders, media, film and others. The woman has also said that this is
the first time that she was lodging a complaint against any of the accused.
It defies imagination how people from diverse walks of life and possibly unrelated to each other could target a particular woman for abuse. Investigations will reveal whether there was a conspiracy behind the whole episode and whether a word of mouth campaign was carried out to paint the woman as easy prey since the first few abusers got away. The involvement of women makes the case sleazier. It also remains to be seen if the sexual acts were captured on camera and whether the woman was blackmailed into further abuse. It is also possible that the abuse started before she was 18 in which case the POCSO Act will also need to be invoked against some of the accused.
It is a black mark
against the society that a woman could be sexually abused by such a large number of
respected people over a considerable length of time without anyone getting
wiser. The woman must have been distressed and someone somewhere should have
seen red flags by her behavior and demeanor. It is also possible that she might
have confided into someone who either ignored the fact or asked her to remain
quiet. In this age and time, the woman too made the cardinal mistake of
remaining silent. The very fact that she has named all 143 assailants means
that she kept a record. She should have approached the police earlier or if she
was afraid of going to a police station, she could have approached any of the
NGOs doing exemplary work in this field. The Hyderabad police must verify her
allegations by conducting an unbiased investigation and must punish the guilty.
picture courtesy: zeenews
