“I will fight for justice for my daughters until my last breath”: mother of rape victims

Among the rape survivors are a six-month-old baby girl and a girl with learning disabilities.

Delhi— Once again, the capital city of Delhi is in the headlines for rape. Two sisters, both minors ­– a 14-year-old girl and a 6-month-old infant– were raped by two men in Samaypur Badli in north-west Delhi. Both of the accused in the case have been arrested by the police.

The attempt made to murder after the rape

While talking to the media, the mother of the victims, a daily wage laborer, said that on April 29, when she came back after work, both the daughters were not at home. She immediately went searching for them and then heard them crying and screaming. [On reaching the spot] she saw her daughters being raped by the two accused, Kamal Malhotra and Raju. She somehow managed to wrestle both the daughters free from the hold of the accused. She further informed us that as she was trying to rescue the girls, the accused also tried to kill her. But again she somehow managed to escape with both the daughters and took them straight to the hospital. There the six-month-old baby girl was admitted to the ICU [intensive care unit] and regained consciousness only the next day.

We also note that the elder daughter of the traumatized woman is also said to have learning disabilities.

Both accused were intoxicated

Outer NorthDelhi Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Bijendra Yadav said, "An FIR [first information report] has been registered in the case. One of the accused, Kamal Malhotra, was apprehended in a skirmish with the police on Saturday, while Raju was arrested the day after. Both accused had been intoxicated at the time of the incident and now both have been arrested. Further action will be taken according to the law."

Mother's demand for justice

Following the incident, the devastated mother is demanding justice for her daughters. She wants that both the accused should be hanged. "I manage with great difficulty to earn a mereRs.300-350 after a whole day's labor. It is hard to live in such a big city with this little income, but what can I do, we have to survive. This incident, though, has completely changed our life. My elder daughter was already suffering from learning disabilities and now this incident has ruined her whole life. My younger daughter doesn't even know that such a terrible incident has happened to her. What effect will it have on her – I don't even know myself yet. But I want my daughters to get justice. I myself will  fight and not give up until I ensure these two are given the death penalty and hanged."

What the numbers tell us about rape

According to the latest figures issued by the Delhi Police, the number of rape cases reported in Delhi increased by 21.6%in the year 2021. While close to 1,618 cases were reported in 2020, in 2021, the number was 1,969 cases. According to the 2013 report of the NCRB [National Crime Records Bureau], in India, 92 women are raped every day, of which every 4 are in Delhi. Incidents of violence against women are increasing year on year. According to the NCRB data, since 2010, there has been an increase of 7.5% in crimes against women.

Regarding Dalit women, the 2019 NCRB data show that 3,500 cases of rape of Dalit women were reported. This means that about 10 women are raped or gang-raped every day. According to the 2021 report, 2,640 rape victims in the country were under the age of 18 and 25,406 were above the age of 18.    

[Story Translated By Lotika Singha]       

Also read in Hindi: "आखिरी सांस तक अपनी बच्चियों के न्याय के लिए लड़ूंगी" रेप पीड़िता की मां