Tribal woman gang-raped by upper caste men in Uttar Pradesh
From our correspondent
A young tribal woman, belonging to the Nut Community (a Scheduled Tribe) at Sirsi village in Chandauli district, Uttar Pradesh was gang-raped by four men from the upper caste community on 14 January 2006.
According to the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), they were recently informed about the heinous crime by the People's Vigilance Committee for Human Rights (PVCHR), a local human rights group working in Uttar Pradesh. The Chandauli police deliberately delayed action against the culprits, thought they finally succumbed to pressure from the Nut community and arrested them. “The victim and her family now fear that they will face intimidation from the community living around them because the culprits are from an influential upper caste community in the area,” a source from the PVCHR said.
On 14 January 2006, four men namely Pankaj Singh, Barsati Singh, Pintu Singh and Ghutau Singh of Hinauti Village came to Sirsi village and attacked a family belonging to the Nut Community. They attacked the family members and chased them away. The men forcibly took the tribal woman (22), who was left behind, to a nearby field and gang-raped her for three hours. When the victim fell unconscious, they threw her on a nearby railway track and left.
In the evening, someone from the village found the victim lying on the railway track and informed the villagers. The victim's family reported the matter to the Chandauli Police Station and lodged a First Information Report against the four culprits under Section 376 Indian Penal Code and under Section 3(2) and 5 of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act 1989.
However, the police delayed in taking any action against the culprits. They belong to the Singh Community, who are feudal landlords, wielding influence on the village. The PVCHR source said, “It is common in India that the victims, who are mostly from the poorest sectors in society, are pressured by the culprits to withdraw their complaints against them. If they refuse to withdraw the complaints, they are forced to leave their place of residence. Due to this, the victim and her family fear that they will have to face similar problems.”
(Source: Dalit Solidarity Network)