IAF Is Insensitive And Hostile To Rape Victims
Linus tackles things head-on. He takes sides in his analysis and it fits excellently with our editorial policy. No 'maybe's' and 'allegedly' for him, only things in black and white.
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By Linus Garg
First publised on 2021-10-05 08:27:50
About the Author
Linus tackles things head-on. He takes sides in his analysis and it fits excellently with our editorial policy. No 'maybe's' and 'allegedly' for him, only things in black and white.
View all posts by this Author
The travails of the woman IAF officer, who recently accused a fellow officer of raping her and filed a delayed FIR with the Coimbatore police after the IAF was unsupportive, even hostile, to her, make for disgusting reading. She has claimed that at every point she was dissuaded from going ahead with the complaint and was even subjected to the banned two-finger rape test by the IAF doctors. She said that she was possibly drugged by the accused and then he entered the room where she was recuperating for nausea and dizziness and took advantage of her situation by raping her. The IAF officers who dealt with the matter tried their best to protect the accused.
Finally, the victim filed an online FIR and the accused was arrested by the Coimbatore police. The IAF has obtained custody of the accused from a Coimbatore court on the plea that only it had the jurisdiction to try Amitesh Harmukh, the accused, as per the Air Force Act. But as the IAF had been unsympathetic to the woman and had even reportedly misguided her, can she expect justice from a court martial conducted behind closed doors? Would it not be better if the accused is tried in an open court of justice since the woman was forced to file an FIR with the civilian police?
This case once again shows how women are subjected to harassment after being sexually assaulted. Despite several Supreme Court guidelines, they continue to face a hostile world that is completely insensitive to their mental trauma and the need for justice. Was the IAF doctor who conducted the two-finger test on her not aware that it had been banned by the apex court? Or does the IAF have its own rules in such cases? The one and only proof of rape is to confirm if the woman had been forced to have sex despite not giving her consent for the act. All other things are irrelevant.
As there are several pieces of evidence, including an eye witness who has confirmed that the accused entered the room and was alone with the victim for a good length of time and a video recording where the accused allegedly confessed to the crime, the IAF must ensure that justice is done. Further, the IAF must ensure that guidelines, as per the ones issued by the Supreme Court, are also framed in the organization for dealing with such cases with empathy and sensitiveness ensuring timely justice for the victims.
