Was not friends with accused, says Phillaur gang rape victim

Deepkamal Kaur
Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, February 14

Countering the claim of the police and Rajeev, the main accused in the Phillaur gang-rape case, that the victim was friends with her, 15-year-old Meena Devi (name changed) says that it is a false statement.

Taking treatment at the Civil Hospital here four days after being subjected to the heinous crime, she says that she did not go with the accused on her own. “It was around 8:30 pm on the day of the Saraswati vandana. As my dad was still to return home from work and mom was busy with my four younger siblings inside the room, I was washing utensils outside. Just then, Rajeev came in, put a cloth around my mouth and along with three other boys forcibly dragged me out of house to a nearby jungle area”, recalled the Bihari teenager.

Resident of Garha village, she, says, “Rajeev’s house is just in front of ours. I never knew that he had such intentions against me. I have never even looked into his eyes, leave aside any friendship with him. He is at least 10 years elder to me. He hails from another village of Bihar and is working as a helper.”

She says: “I tried to resist a lot. As I was trying to escape, I fell into a trench and got my leg fractured and again fell in their trap. Even as the pain in my leg was unbearable because of the fall, they ruthlessly kept on taking turns on me. The cloth in my mouth somehow slipped and I began screaming loudly. It was just then that an uncle from my neighbourhood heard my cries and came to my rescue. Seeing him, the foursome ran away.”

Her mother says, “I kept looking for my daughter in some houses in neighbourhood for almost an hour. Since we do not have a TV at home and Meena is fond of it, I thought she has gone to someone’s house to watch it. But she was nowhere to be seen. Just then I saw her being carried back home by four persons. Meena was unconscious and bleeding badly. We took her to the hospital where doctors told me that she had been raped.”

“I may be illiterate but I am of the firm resolve that I will never let them go scot-free. I will ensure that they live behind bars all their life for their barbaric act,” victim says.