My name is Urmila, aged 35 years and wife of Trishool. I am a forest dweller and a manual labour. I am illiterate. My first husband’s name was Ramkishun, from whom I have 5 children, including my eldest daughter Seema (18), Govinda (12), Monu (8), Reema (7) and Mahesh (6).
Owing to my second marriage, I got drifted away from my first family, while the parents of my second husband also never accepted our union. This way, I am not a member of the either families now. Finding no other option, we started to live under a Peepal tree near the Pachkosi railway crossing.
On June 14, 2018, an incident shook my life. That night, my husband had gone to learn auto rickshaw driving and I was asleep under the tree. Around 11 pm, Guru Prasad Yadav, Lakhandar Bhar, Mahendra Yadav and Chukul Gaud came to may place and started assaulting me. When I resisted, they covered my mouth and gang raped me. I tried to save myself hard, but could not succeed. I was profusely bleeding from my nose, while my petticoat also got blood stained. There was no one to help me then and I was getting unconscious.
My husband came in the morning and asked what had happened. I told him everything and he dialed 100 police. We apprised the cops, who went to accused Raju’s house, but he was not at home then. However, we did not get any help. We again dialed 100; they came and clicked my photograph and sent onwards, but no action was taken against the accused.
When we called up 100 for the third time to inform them that no action had been taken, the police outpost personnel threatened us that they would instead put us in the lock up if we called up again. We were despondent that we had no one to hear our grievances.
The Purana Chauki police kept us running here and there between June 15 and June 20, 2018. They neither caught hold of any accused nor sent me for the medical examination. When I shared my pain with the woman constable, she offered me some money, which showed they were not really concerned about my ordeal. I was in deep pain and feeling gloomy that the poor were perceived to be having no dignity and that anyone could play with their honour. The accused after violating me were now making fun of me among people.
Then, a relative Santara told me about the human rights Jan Nigrani, Daulatpur, Pandeypur. Therefore, I came here with my female relative. Later, I went to the IG office also to hand them over my complaint, but the police guards did not allow me to enter. They conceded only when I referred to the human rights. The IG lent his ears to me and called up the concerned police station for necessary action in the case.
That evening, I got a call from Sarnath police station. When I went there, my FIR was lodged but only against one accused. When I sought to know, they did not tell me anything. The cops are in total complicity with the accused in this case. After the filing of FIR, the accused started to pressurise us for a compromise. They even offered money, when we refused they threatened to kill my husband. We were constantly living in fear and apprehended getting harmed by the accused. They were trying to break our resolve by exerting pressure from all sides. However, we have started to get the help of some social workers, which has kept our hopes alive.
My medical examination was conducted 7 days after the assault and statement under 164 was recorded. However, the accused have received so much help already from the local police station and the outpost that they are still roaming around freely. They threaten us that they have money and that we would not be able to harm them in any way. The police, annoyed at us for not striking a compromise, harasses my husband every now and then. They even want him to become their informer. Whenever, he tries to leave for work, he is made to sit in the police station without any reason and tortured mentally.
Why is the police against us, I cannot comprehend. Due to their terror, we are constantly on the move. We fear that the cops could implicate my husband in some false case.
I am always in a state of worry with these bad thoughts. I cannot sleep or concentrate in any work. I really get peeved at seeing the misery of my husband. He left his family for me and if anything happens to him, I would never be able to forgive myself. He stands firm in the pursuit of justice for me, but he is being subjected to harassment by police and the accused. We can never get over the trauma of those times.
I want those who have dishonoured me should be shamed themselves. The accused should be taken to task and even the policemen who are hand-in-glove with them should also be punished. I really felt relieved talking to you people and sharing my story.
Interviewer Farhat Shaba Khanam
Victim Urmila Musahar
Translated by Mr. Ashish Awasthi
