Woman Tortured and Sexually Assaulted By Her Husband and His Brother

Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, September 05, 2012

25-year old woman Guru Eswari who was periodically tortured by her suspicious soldier-husband has been lying in a hospital bed in Thoothukudi for nearly a month recovering from wounds inflicted on her, by her husband and his brother.

Guru Eswari’s husband and his brother stripped and sexually tortured her, by inserting things like chilli powder and a hot iron rod inside her genitals, and then later stripped and tortured Guru Eshwari’s mother the same way.

So far the police have not arrested her husband and his brother husband, who is a Lance Naik in the Indian Army or his brother.    Read the newspaper report here

Read the full account of Guru Eswari’s story as told via a journalist to (MASES) The Movement Against Sexual Exploitation and Sexism by clicking here.

Chair of India’s National Commission For Women says Clothing Invites Sexual Assault

 

New Delhi, July 18, 2012

In response to a case last week where a teenage girl was attacked and molested by a mob of men in full public view, National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson Mamta Sharma’s statement asking women to dress carefully to avoid crimes (like molestation) against them has sparked outrage and disgust with rights activists questioned the selection process of NCW office-bearers. Sharma’s comments came close on the heels of the removal of Alka Lamba from a fact-finding committee probing the Guwahati molestation case for revealing the victim’s identity.

While speaking about the molestation case on Tuesday, Sharma stopped short of prescribing a dress code. She said, “Be careful about how you dress… Aping the west blindly is eroding our culture and causing such crimes to happen.”

Earlier this year, at a seminar where she address young women, Sharma offered this advice on how to deal with street sexual harassment, “Don’t be offended if someone calls you ‘sexy’, rather take it positively.”

CPM leader Brinda Karat demanded the NCW chairperson withdraw her statement or quit. “Such advice is unwarranted and militates against the mandate of the commission. It only strengthens the forces who blame victims for the crimes against them,” she said.  Full Report Here

 

Mob Attacks and Attempts to Rape a Female Politician

Guwahati, Assam, July 01, 2012

Congress leader, and member of the Legislative Assembly, 33-year-old  Rumi Nath,  who married Jaki Jakir, last month and converted to Islam.

A mob of about a 100 hundred men attacked Rumi and Jaki at their hotel, because she had allegedly not divorced her first husband.

However Rumi Nath says that this has more to do with the fact she married a Muslim man and converted to Islam.  She says, “I got attacked by some boys who were drunk. They even tried to rape me and take my clothes off, so it’s an attempt to murder and rape. Since I got married it has been a political issue; it’s 100 per cent a political conspiracy.”

Her own party has condemned the incident. “There are legal means if they have any grievance. But this is reprehensible and we condemn this incident,” said Haren Das, general secretary, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee.  However there doesn’t seem to have been much action on the part of the police and administration to investigate and arrest the men involved.  Full report here.

Man Keeps Wife’s Genitals Under Lock and Key For Four Years

Indore, Madhya Pradesh, July 18, 2012

Sohanlal Chouhan, 38, a mechanic,  has been arrested in Indore for keeping his wife’s genitals locked for four years. The incident only came to light when the victim tried to commit suicide yesterday and was rushed to hospital. Chouhan had drilled holes on either side of her genitals after drugging her. Before leaving for work, Chouhan would insert a small lock in the holes, keeping the keys under his socks.  Full report here

Men Allowed to Rape Women in a Rehabiliation Home

Hoogly, Kolkata, July 13, 2012

Investigations into the mysterious death and burial of Guriya, a 32-year-old woman in a Hooghly rehabilitation home, has unearthed a horror house where female residents were regularly raped and tortured by men from outside. It was virtually a free for all — anyone could walk in after sunset and do whatever he pleased with the women, who are either mentally challenged or speech and hearing impaired.

A representative of the NGO Shruti which fights for the rights of physically and mentally challenged women, said that this is not an isolated case.  She said  ” Sexual abuse is common in homes for women. In case of physically challenged and mentally handicapped women, it is even worse. They cannot protest against the abuse. No home can run without government licence or funding but there is hardly any monitoring.” Full report here

Minor Girls In Indian Orphanage Raped By Police

Chandigarh, June 06, 2012

On May 10, a National Commission for Protection of Child Rights team had raided Apna Ghar a home for abandoned or orphaned children in Rohtak, run by an NGO, Bharat Vikas Sangh, and rescued 94 minors, mostly girls.  The woman in charge of the home,  Jaswanti Devi and her son-in-law Jai Bhagwan were arrested on charges of child sexual abuse.

The girl inmates of the Apna Ghar shelter in Rohtak told a four-member committee that they were gang-raped by Haryana Police officials, who made them dance naked and forcibly took them out of the home.

Almost all the inmates reportedly said that Haryana Police officials were frequent visitors to Apna Ghar and would abuse them with the help of Jaswanti Devi.

According to sources, two of the inmates — one deaf and mute and the other mentally challenged — said that when they got pregnant, the in-charge of the home, Jaswanti Devi, stepped on their stomachs and inserted sticks inside their private parts to force abortions.  Jaswanti Devi, incidentally, is a recipient of a number of state awards for “empowering” women.  Full report here