Press Release

Exactly a month after the Nirbhaya rape case, another rape has taken
place, that too in broad day-light, barely a few kilometres from where
Nirbhaya was found in a seriously injured condition. Clearly, Nirbhaya
has been forgotten and it is business as usual, at least as far as the
Delhi Police is concerned, probably as this case is not being
considered to be ‘high-profile’ enough for them to take proper action.

This time it is Roshni (name changed), an 8 year old daughter of
migrant industrial workers who were raped by a yet to be identified
person on the afternoon of the 17th January 2013 at her residence in
Kapashera, South West Delhi. She was taken to the Safdarjung Hospital
by her parents during the evening on the same day.

Even after a week of the crime, the police appear to be doing a
whitewash of the crime at best, as no results of their ‘efforts’ are
evident. There was an attempt to change the nature of the crime in the
FIR that was lodged, which was foiled by a well-wisher of the girl’s
family, who pressurised the Police to note the actual crime in the
FIR.

However, the Police have not been doing the investigations in a
professional manner. According to a media report, the police have said
that the girl was unable to describe the rapists. This is not true.
Though the girl was injured, she has been able to describe the rapist.
While many innocent workers and others from the community are being
rounded up and being subjected to questioning, a simple task like
creating a sketch of the rapist, based on the description provided by
the girl has not been done. The police have been harassing innocent
people in the name of investigations, as is the norm in such cases.

The victim’s family is being pressurized by their landlord to leave
the place, leading to evident doubts, about his complicity in the
crime. However, this fact has also been ignored by the investigators.

The rape has happened in the same area as Nirbhaya. Even the hospital
where the victim has been admitted is the same. So even at ground
zero, nothing is different at all. The various ‘machineries’
supposedly created as a result of the national and international
pressure of the Nirbhaya case have already failed their test, within a
few days after creation. We would like to let you know that it is
business as usual, and girls and women are as unsafe like ever before
in Delhi.

About us:- Nari Shakti Manch is a women’s organization working for the
rights of migrant women and children in Kapashera and Gurgaon. We run
a learning centre for the children in the area, besides empowerment
groups for women. This case was brought to our notice by one of the
participants in our programme, as it happened in the area where we
work. We have been in touch with the family of the victim and are
providing them with necessary support in this time of crisis.

In case you need any further details, you may contact us as per
details given below:-

Retu Singh : +919716187771

Twinkle Dahiya : +919818130721