Photo by McKay Savage
Last July, an Indian woman who had been gang raped in 2013 was once again raped as she was returning home from college last July 13.
Per CNN, “All four alleged perpetrators in custody appeared in court Sunday, where a magistrate ordered them held for at least three more days. It’s not clear if the alleged perpetrators from the 2013 attack are among the those arrested.”
One of the cousins of the rape victim said she was taken to an unknown place and brutally raped until she could not speak, since she was so traumatized.
The New York Times reports, “Praveen Kumar, a cousin of the victim, said she had been abducted and forced to drink alcohol or a drug, then taken to an unknown place and gang-raped. He said she was found with torn clothing and bruises on her neck and too traumatized to speak.”
In India, many rape cases are unreported because of the Caste System. Those underneath the Caste System, known as Dalits often have rape cases that go unreported.
The Washington Post states, “Heinous rape cases periodically find airtime in the Indian news cycle, but the outcry is often muted when the victim belongs to a lower caste. The unnamed girl in this case is a Dalit, a term used to describe the lowest rungs of India’s caste system. Casteism is outlawed by India’s constitution, but the practice is widespread, especially in smaller towns and rural areas. The five men whom the girl’s family blames for the rapes belong to the upper castes.”
Typically, police in India have 24 hours to finish an investigation once there is an arrest. In this case though, police may appeal for a longer time to investigate the case.
Per CNN, “Per Indian law, police generally have 24 hours from the time of the arrest to finish their investigation, but authorities have said they will petition the court to hold the men longer as they finish their probe.”
The police said there was no evidence of a rape happening initially. Yet, when a doctor examined her, he could not rule it out.
New York Times states, “The chief investigator and deputy superintendent of the police, Pushpa, who uses only one name, said the officers found the woman on a roadside ‘in an inebriated state,’ and that she showed ‘no injuries at all, internal or external.’”
Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported Women missionaries share Christ’s hope to women who are hurting. Veil of Tears is a documentary which shows the plight of women in Asia.
Veil of Tears explains, “These are the faces of valiant souls. Those who have withstood a lifetime of adversity in the face of incredible obstacles stacked against them. Take a heartfelt journey through the eyes of these women, and others, who unveil their personal stories of rejection, abandonment, tragedy and even triumph.”
Please pray for many women in Southeast Asia to find hope in Christ.
CNN: India: Fourth arrest made in double gang-rape case
The New York Times: 3 Men in India Accused of Raping Woman a Second Time
Washington Post: An Indian rape survivor was allegedly raped again by the same five men
