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Two sisters from Walayar, Kerala, 13 and 9 years old, were found hanging in their home in a space of 2 months, both showing signs of long time sexual assault. Who is responsible?
Two years ago, precisely speaking 13th January 2017 around 4:30 in the evening a 13 years old was found hanging in her one-room house, in the small town of Walayar, Palakkad.
The local police took the entire incident to be a case of suicide, after the preliminary inquest. An FIR was registered as a case of unnatural death under CrPC 174 on the same day.
The next day, the post-mortem too revealed the cause of death as suffocation due to hanging, but the doctor mentioned that there is a possibility that the child has undergone sexual assault for a long time which could not be ruled out.
A week after the incident police arrested few men for questioning, who were more or less known to the victim and had a close relationship with the victim’s parents. However, they were soon released on basis of no-evidence against them!
One of the main eyewitnesses, nine-year-old sister of the dead victim was not at all considered even though it should have been considered on priority. The nine-year-old was the unfortunate one to find the victim’s body for the first time. The child had told her parents that two men hiding their faces ran out of the house before she found out her sisters’ body. The Walayar police, however, paid the least attention to it. Which later proved to be a big mistake by those who are supposed to protect the people!
On, March 4, 2017, exactly 52 days after the first death, the second child, the nine-year-old was found dead hanging from the ceiling of the house, replicating the first death!
The autopsy report ruled out suicide and threw some light on to the fact that the kid was a victim of prolonged sexual assault, not to mention unnatural sex. People all over the state started protesting which endured pressure on Walayar police and as a result, they arrested seven men all closely associated with the girl’s family.
After two years, at present, all the suspects were acquitted based on a lack of circumstantial evidence as well as scientific evidence. The verdict not only shattered the hope of the parents but also stimulated the outrage in the public. The outcome of the case in the future is still in
It is but evident that police played a crucial role in goofing up the entire case. From the very first murder(if I may say so), the police paid no heed to the witness, showed a great deal of incompetency in collecting evidence and precipitately indulged in closing the case. However, one major part that we may have missed out is that- the murder and rape could have been prevented even before anybody realized that something may go wrong.
“The elder girl was restless, always walked in the class. We used to shout at her and scold her for not sitting in one place. Now looking back, I feel it was the physical pain that she endured made her unable to sit for a prolonged period!” one of her teachers revealed this to a well-known news channel.
Was she going through such horrible sexual assault without anyone, even her parents, having no clue? The answer is shocking- her parents and more than 10 people out of 52 or more witnesses in the case knew about the sexual assault both the minors went through!
The mother told the police that she knew that one of her nephews assaulted both her daughters. Yet, she remained silent in fear of “defame” and threats that may be shower upon their family. One of the neighbors said the elder girl had told that a person nearby their house had assaulted her on different occasions. The person is none other than the primary suspect in the case who was acquitted by the court on 31 September 2019! The first to walk out free…
What society are we living in? A society full of child predators, molesters, and neighbours who gave no heed to what’s going on! Let’s not talk about the parents here; what do we call a parent who watches their kid being molested and not report, and on top of that have the audacity to say they feared “defame”. Is it convenient to sacrifice both kids to prevent defamation? Let’s think about it…
Image source: shutterstock
Sheeba Vinay is a writer, Compiler by profession. She is criminologist and a writing therapist. Her write-ups have been published in Lokmat Times, TOI and various platforms like Women's Web, Momspresso, Storymirror, India read more...
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Neena was the sole caregiver of Amma and though one would think that Amma was dependent on her, Neena felt otherwise.
Neena inhaled the aroma that emanated from the pan and took a deep breath. The aroma of cumin interspersed with butter transported her back to the modest kitchen in her native village. She could picture her father standing in the kitchen wearing his white crisp kurta as he made delectable concoctions for his only daughter.
Neena grew up in a home where both her parents worked together in tandem to keep the house up and running. She had a blissful childhood in her modest two-room house. The house was small but every nook and cranny gave her memories of a lifetime. Neena’s young heart imagined that her life would follow the same cheerful course. But how wrong she was!
When she was sixteen, the catastrophic clutches of destiny snatched away her parents. They passed away in a road accident and Neena was devastated. Relatives thronged her now gloomy house and soon it was decided that she should be married off.
Women today don’t want to be in a partnership that complicates their lives further. They need an equal partner with whom they can figure out life as a team, playing by each other’s strengths.
We all are familiar with that one annoying aunty who is more interested in our marital status than in the dessert counter at a wedding. But these aunties have somehow become obsolete now. Now they are replaced by men we have in our lives. Friends, family, and even work colleagues. It’s the men who are worried about why we are not saying yes to one among their clans. What is wrong with us? Aren’t we scared of dying alone? Like them?
A recent interaction with a guy friend of mine turned sour when he lectured me about how I would regret not getting married at the right time. He lectured that every event in our lives needs to be completed within a certain timeframe set by society else we are doomed. I wasn’t angry. I was just disappointed to realize that annoying aunties are rapidly doubling in our society. And they don’t just appear at weddings or family functions anymore. They are everywhere. They are the real pandemic.
Let’s examine this a little closer.
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