Tuesday, December 25, 2012

India rape crisis hits new low - allegation that victim of gang rape then raped by cops probing her case ! Allegations of the Police force interfering have more credibility if cops are part of the India rape problem - why would victims trust cpos who not only won't truly investigate crimes but who might also re-victimize women at risk ?

India has a major rape problem , first a recap of my prior post.....

http://fredw-catharsisours.blogspot.com/2012/12/india-has-had-rash-of-gang-rapes-in.html

The problem with rape stems not just from hooligans , but the attitude of politicians and the police toward rape , women in general and the attitude toward victims of sexual crimes....


http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2012/12/2012122973834570942.html

India mourns death of gang-rape victim

Protesters gather in New Delhi to pay their respects to gang-rape victim who died from organ failure in Singapore.
Last Modified: 29 Dec 2012 16:07
Shocked Indians are mourning the death of a woman who was gang-raped and beaten on a bus in New Delhi nearly two weeks ago in an ordeal that has galvanised people to demand greater protection for women from sexual violence.

Mourners gathered at Jantar Mantar in the capital on Saturday to express their grief and demand stronger protection for women and the death penalty for rape, which is now punishable by a maximum of life imprisonment.

Dozens of students of Jawaharlal Nehru University in south Delhi marched silently to the bus stop from where the rape victim and her friend had boarded the bus on December 16. They carried placards reading "She is not with us but her story must awaken us."
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said he was aware of the emotions the attack has stirred and that it was up to all Indians to ensure that the young woman's death would not have been in vain.

Meanwhile, six suspects held in connction with the rape were officially charged with murder on Saturday, New Delhi police spokesman Rajan Bhagat said.

The 23-year-old medical student victim passed away at 4:45 am (2045 GMT) on Saturday at Mount Elizabeth hospital in Singapore with her family and officials of the Indian Embassy by her side, Kevin Loh, the chief executive of the hospital, said in a statement.
IN DEPTH
 Are women safe in India?
 Insensitive remarks add to India's rape shame
 The violence of rape
 Bus attack highlights India's rape epidemic
 India announces inquiry into Delhi gang-rape
 'Honour killings' bring dishonour to India
After 10 days at a hospital in New Delhi, the woman was brought on Thursday to Mount Elizabeth, which specialises in multi-organ transplants.

Loh said the woman had been in extremely critical condition since Thursday, and by late Friday her condition had taken a turn for the worse, with her vital signs deteriorating.

"She was courageous in fighting for her life for so long against the odds, but the trauma to her body was too severe for her to overcome,'' Loh said.
Security alert
Her body is to be flown back to India later in the day.
The frightening nature of the crime shocked Indians , who have come out in the thousands for almost daily demonstrations. 

Hundreds of policemen have sealed off the high-security India Gate area, where the seat of India's government is located.
Indian authorities also closed 10 metro stations and banned vehicles from some main roads in the heart of New Delhi, where demonstrators have converged since the attack to demand improved women's rights.
The woman, who has not been identified, and a male friend were returning home from the cinema by bus when six men on the bus beat them with metal rods and repeatedly raped the woman.
Media reports indicated that a rod was used in the rape, causing severe internal injuries. Both were thrown from the bus. The male friend survived the attack.
New Delhi has the highest number of sex crimes among India's major cities, with a rape reported on average every 18 hours, according to police figures.
Government data show the number of reported rape cases in the country rose by nearly 17 percent between 2007 and 2011.


http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2012/12/20121228215753910399.html

India gang-rape victim dies in Singapore

Hospital says 23-year-old woman who was raped and severely beaten by six men in New Delhi has died from her injuries.
Last Modified: 29 Dec 2012 00:21
Al Jazeera's Caroline Malone reports on a teenage girl in Punjab who committed suicide after she was raped
Doctors have announced that a young Indian woman who was gang-raped and severely beaten on a bus in India's capital, New Delhi, has died at their Singapore hospital.
A statement by Singapore's Mount Elizabeth Hospital where the 23-year-old victim was being treated said she "died peacefully" early on Saturday.
"We are very sad to report that the patient passed away peacefully at 4.45am [local time] on December 29, 2012," Kelvin Loh, the chief executive of Mount Elizabeth Hospital, said in a statement.
The statement said her family and officials from the High Commission of India were by her side.
IN DEPTH
Are women safe in India?
Insensitive remarks add to India's rape shame
The violence of rape
Bus attack highlights India's rape epidemic
India announces inquiry into Delhi gang-rape
'Honour killings' bring dishonour to India
The hospital said the woman, a paramedic student, had remained in an extremely critical condition since Thursday when she was flown to Singapore from India.
"Despite all efforts by a team of eight specialists in Mount Elizabeth Hospital to keep her stable, her condition continued to deteriorate over these two days," Loh continued.
By late Friday, the young woman's condition had "taken a turn for the worse" and her vital signs had indicated severe organ failure, the hospital had earlier said.
She had also suffered a heart attack, a lung and abdominal infection and "significant" brain injury, it said.
T.C.A. Raghavan, the Indian High Commissioner to Singapore, said after her death that the family has expressed a desire for her body to be flown back to India.
Speaking to the media, he added: "In the end, she succumbed to her injuries because the scale of those injuries was very great."
"The family of course is shattered by this development. At the same time, they realise that the best possible medical attention was provided to her. At the end, it was the scale of her injuries which proved too much for the medical treatment that was provided to her," Raghavan said.
'Very serious condition'
Al Jazeera's Divya Gopalan, reporting from New Delhi early on Saturday, said: "She has been in hospital since the attack happened on December 16, she has been in hospital in very serious condition... just a few days ago they said her condition had worsened so they sent her to Singapore for treatment at a hospital that specialises in organ transplants."
Gopalan continued: "She flew over there just over a day ago and doctors said once she arrived there she started receiving treatment again. Just a few hours ago they said she had multiple organ failure and they were trying to treat her with antibiotics."

The horrific ordeal of the woman has galvanised Indians, who have held almost daily demonstrations to demand greater protection from sexual violence, from groping to rape, that impacts thousands of women every day, but which often goes unreported.
The victim and a male friend were traveling in a public bus on December 16 night when they were attacked by six men who raped her and beat them both.
They also inserted the rod in her body, stripped both naked and threw them off the bus on a road. Police have arrested the six attackers.
The attack two weeks ago brought new focus on police and community attitudes toward woman in India. Demonstrators in New Delhi have demanded stronger protections for women and stronger punishment for rapists.
The government has ordered an official inquiry into the attack and promised new laws to protect women as well as stiffer penalties for sex crimes.
It also announced plans to post the photos, names and addresses of convicted rapists on official websites to publicly shame them. The campaign is scheduled to begin in Delhi, which has been dubbed India's "rape capital".





http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Woman-gang-raped-in-Cuddalore-village/articleshow/17762607.cms


Woman gang-raped in Cuddalore village



CUDDALORE: In yet another case of brutal attack on women which bore similarities to the Delhi bus incident, three men allegedly gang-raped a 23-year-old woman after assaulting and tying up her boyfriend in a village in Cuddalore district on Monday night. 

Police said the woman, who narrated her ordeal to investigating officers, came to a secluded spot on the banks of Manimuthar river near Srimushnam with her boyfriend, who is also her relative, around 8pm on Monday. They were chatting when the three-member gang came there and attacked them. They also snatched the man's mobile phone and whatever money he had with him. 

Police said the assailants took turns to rape the woman after tying up the boyfriend, who, however, managed to free himself after some time and escaped from the spot fearing for his life. The assailants fled the scene after the woman fell unconscious. 

The woman, after regaining consciousness, reached Vriddhachalam bus stand on foot and the passersby, who noticed her condition, called '108' ambulance service. She was taken to Vridhachalam governmentgeneral hospital where she was given first aid and then referred to Cuddalore government general hospital. Cuddalore superintendent of police Radhika visited the hospital and spoke to the woman. 

Police sources said the woman narrated her two-hour ordeal to the SP. She was then shifted to Mundiyanpakkam government medical college in Villupuram for medical examination

Her boyfriend, who fled the scene, was traced on Tuesday morning. Police also picked up seven people based on his statement. Police sources claimed that the girl did not have any injuries and they were awaiting the results of the medical examination. Police are yet to register a case in this connection.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/55-year-old-man-arrested-for-raping-minors/articleshow/17769099.cms


55-year-old man arrested for raping minors









and.....







UP rape victim raped by cops probing case



LUCKNOW: A gang-rape victim from Uttar Pradesh's Ambedkar Nagar, who was again violated by the investigating officer (IO) probing her case, has now alleged that she was also raped by the inspector in charge of the police station where she had lodged her complaint. While the IO was arrested on December 14, no action has been taken against the inspector. Now the victim has written to the chief minister for justice. 

Maan Singh, a senior sub inspector (SSI) posted at Akbarpur police station in Ambedkar Nagar, was arrested on December 14 from a hotel in Faizabad by SSP D S Yadav. The arrest came after the SSP was informed that the cop had brought the gang-rape victim from Ambedkar Nagar to the hotel and was raping her. The victim was rescued from the room after the cop was caught with his pants down. Now the rape victim has alleged that in-charge of the Akbarpur Kotwali, inspector AK Upadhyay, had also raped her. 

As per the woman, she was gang-raped in Ambedkar Nagar last month. Her family had lodged an FIR in this connection at the Akbarpur police stationMaan Singh was the IO of the case. Allegations are that after the police failed to initiate any action against the accused, the victim approached the SSI who promised to help her. He then suggested that she should accompany him to Faizabad and appear before the deputy inspector general (DIG) Faizabad Range of which Ambedkar Nagar district police is a part. The unsuspecting victim agreed and accompanied Maan Singh to Faizabad. The cop took the victim to the hotel and raped her. During her ordeal, the woman somehow managed to send a message to her neighbour in Ambedkar Nagar, who contacted the Faizabad SSP. 


The girl has now alleged that by the time the SSP raided the hotel and arrested Maan Singh, she had already been raped by Upadhyay as well. Upadhyay is the immediate boss of Maan Singh. The victim, in her letter to the senior officers, has alleged that though she had provided this information to the officer investigating the rape case against Maan Singh, no action has been initiated against the accused inspector. 

The woman has now alleged that since the matter was related to the police department, she was being threatened not to testify against the arrested SSI before the court and was also under pressure not to raise the issue of the inspector's involvement. 

Faizabad city SP Subhash Singh Baghel said he was getting the charges verified. "Whosoever involved will not be spared.'' 


and......

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Gang-rape-case-Metropolitan-magistrate-records-victims-statement-again/articleshow/17756684.cms

NEW DELHI: Delhi Police on Tuesday virtually hit back at chief minister Sheila Dikshit for accusing the force of "interference" while recording the statement of the 23- year-old rape victim on a day a constable succumbed to his injuries sustained during Sunday's violent protests.

Police's strong response came a day after Dikshit shot off a letter to Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde citing a communication to her by deputy commissioner (east) B M Mishrathat sub-divisional magistrate Usha Chaturvedi had complained about senior police officials' interference while she was recording the statement of the victim.

Denying the allegations, city police commissioner Neeraj Kumar said police never forced any questionnaire on the SDM. The SDM had complained that police had told her to ask the victim only from the questionnaire the investigators had prepared.

"It was the police which had insisted that the statement of the girl be recorded as her condition was getting worse with every passing day...Chaturvedi was assigned the job by the divisional commissioner," he said.

The SDM could have refused to record the statement if at any point she had felt pressure from the police, he said.
As soon as Dikshit complained to the home minister on Monday, police immediately sought recording of victim's statement before a metropolitan magistrate, which have more legal value.

"The victim recorded the statement before a judicial magistrate today. This has more evidentiary value," he said.

Constable Subhash Tomar (47), who was wounded during Sunday's protests, succumbed to his injuries at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital where he was in ventillator for the past three days. He was cremated in the presence of the chief minister, civil aviation minister Ajit Singh and others.

Doctors at Safdarjung Hosptial said the victim's condition was a "shade better than yesterday" as her vital parameters have shown a marginal improvement, but she is still critical and continues to be on ventilator support.

Delhi Police on Tuesday evening eased restrictions near India Gate and Raisina Hill leading to Rashtrapati Bhavan even as small protests were held at Jantar Mantar demanding stringent punishment for those involved in the gangrape and brutal assault of the girl in a moving bus in south Delhi on December 16.

Earlier, Delhi Police spokesperson Rajan Bhagat said the force would demand a high-level probe into the "leakage" of chief minister's top secret letter to the Union home minister and how it made to media.Dikshit has been making a strong pitch of bringing the city police under Delhi government from home ministry's control.


Ever since the public outrage over the incident, the chief minister has made it clear that she cannot be held responsible for actions of police which is not under her government's control.

Police has made known its unhappiness over Dikshit passing on the buck and raking up a "non-issue" at this juncture by writing to Shinde.

Kumar said, "the statement of the rape victim and her mother was recorded. So if the SDM had felt that something was wrong, then why did she record the statement.

"The statement was recorded on December 21 and why after so long on December 24, a complaint came out. And even if the complaint has been filed, then the side of the police should have also been heard. It is unfortunate. Such kind of things affects police investigation. Also the contents have been made known to media also," he said.

Kumar also claimed that they had encountered problems with Chaturvedi earlier on two occasions this year while dealing with cases of two rioting cases in east Delhi.

Rejecting claims that police prevented the videography of the process, he said girl's mother had objected to it as she thought they were media persons as also doctors who felt that presence of more people may lead to infection.

Providing the sequence of events, Kumar said at one stage, they felt that the girl may not pull through and police wanted a statement since only an SDM can record a dying declaration.

"ACP (Vasant Vihar) approached deputy commissioner of New Delhi Neela Mohanan for an SDM but she asked him to approach divisional commissioner as she did not have any woman SDM under her jurisdiction. Then divisional commissioner Dharampal assigned Chaturvedi for the job," he said.

Chaturvedi asked assistant commissioner to meet her near PHQ on December 21 at 6pm initially but later preponed by an hour saying she had orders to record the statement as fast as possible.

"She said she wanted to know the facts of the case and was taken to Vasant Vihar police station where she was briefed about the case and then she was taken to hospital where she recorded the statement," Kumar said.

"She was only supposed to record the statement but not probe the matter," he said.

The chief minister was "very upset" over the contents of the letter sent by the deputy commissioner and decided to write to Shinde seeking a thorough probe into the incident, Delhi government sources said.

The home ministry sources said they are likely to order a probe into the chief minister's complaint. "We are taking the complaint very seriously," a senior ministry official said.

and men are standing up for women at risk.....

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Who-are-the-men-at-the-gang-rape-protests-in-Delhi/articleshow/17758625.cms

NEW DELHI: The chorus of slogans asking for "justice" at Jantar Mantar and India Gate has a distinct bass. Throaty male voices shout and scream their discontent against the gang rape of a 23-year-old underlining their stand on sexual violence against women. They form a sizeable majority among the protesters addressing what is commonly perceived as a "women's issue". 

What has brought these men from different parts of the city to this venue? A magazine and newspaper distributor, Sanjay Kumar was water-cannoned and lathicharged at Raisina Hillthe day before. His hands have burn marks after having handled a live teargas shell. But he is back at Jantar Mantar. "I saw a picture in a newspaper of an old woman and two young people, drenched, and being lathicharged by the police. I had met that very woman at Raisina Hill and she was a very sweet, old lady. It really bothered me when I saw her being attacked by the police. What kind of a message is the establishment giving out here?" asks the 34-year-old. 

Try needling him with statements like, "But this is a women's issue. Why are you here?" and he looks at you with mild amusement. "Was I not born of a mother? The world can only run if men and women function together," he says. 

The "Delhi Man" is a much-maligned figure. He is the butt of jokes at stand-up comedy events and generally looked at with distrust by women taking public transport in the city. So who are the guys like KumarFeminist scholar Nivedita Menon feels there is an exciting shift in common sense in the last 20 years, especially with the younger generation. "Some of their slogans may be problematic, like the ones asking for death penalty, but a lot of them are also feminist slogans. They may or may not identify themselves as feminist, but it is encouraging to see them participate," says Menon. 



Nandini Rao of Jagori, however, approaches the subject with caution. "I am not sure if they're men who themselves have never indulged in sexual harassment. But I would like to believe that they always existed but were not shaken out of their complacency enough to come out on the streets like this. It is probably the brutality in this case that has brought them out," she says. 

Everybody seems to have his own reason for being there. Teenager Aditya Kumar, who studies atAmity University, says the sheer violence of the gang rape bothered him. "We have reached a saturation level with rapes in the city. This case went beyond sexual assault. It's now or never," he says. 

In a protest dominated by middle-class and lower middle-class 20-somethings, retired government officer R G Sabharwal stands out. Talking about this case, the 73-year-old often lapses into rhetoric, slamming the political class, the police machinery and even society. He dismisses the gender question saying the case reflects a lapse of police and political accountability that people across genders need to protest against. He acknowledges the fact that people of his age haven't turned up in the kind of numbers as during the anti-corruption protests, but he has high hopes from the future electorate. "When these people go out to vote," he says gesturing at a group of college students sitting in a circle, "they won't care about caste or religion. They want results. I don't expect to see change in my lifetime. But the youth will fight for it and get it," he says. 

Rao differs on the point of young people dominating the protests. "Smaller demonstrations organized in residential mohallas have had a healthy mix of all ages of men. When it happens at this level, it helps normalize the conversation around sexual violence," she says. 

More young college-going men (and only one lone girl, surprisingly) join in the conversation as Sabharwal talks. Who is responsible? Why did this happen? Why does this keep on happening? What next? Their questions are incessant. There are no easy answers. But perhaps raising the right questions is what really matters.



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