Mumbai photojournalist was gang-raped on her mother's birthday
For the Mumbai gang-rape survivor’s mother, her birthday will never be a cause for celebration again. In fact, it will always bring back haunting memories, of her daughter being gang-raped.
For the Mumbai gang-rape survivor’s mother, her birthday will never be a cause for celebration again. In fact, it will always bring back haunting memories, of her daughter being gang-raped.
On August 22, the day when the photojournalist was gang-raped, the family had planned to go out for dinner to celebrate the survivor's mother's birthday.
According to the mother’s statement attached to the chargesheet, when the accused were violating the survivor, she had called her daughter to ask which restaurant they should go to and when would she return home.
The statement says the survivor first disconnected her mother’s call, but when she called back, the survivor answered in Hindi and said, “Maa main theek hoon (Mother I am fine).”
Her mother found it strange, as her daughter barely ever spoke to her in Hindi.
According to the survivor's male colleague's statement, after threatening them, the accused assaulted and tied him with three belts, while they took the survivor away from him on the pretext of interrogation.
Two of the five accused stayed with him, while the rest took the girl away where they raped her one after the other.
“I got worried and called again. This time too she spoke in Hindi and said: ‘Mummy main Mahalaxmi station pe hoon, theek hoon, (I am at Mahalaxmi station, and I am fine)’”, the mother’s statement reads.
"She was continuously crying on the phone and told me -'Mummy I am going to Jaslok hospital please come to Jaslok hospital' - and when I asked her what was the issue she said - 'Please come to Jaslok hospital," says the mother.
As the girl was crying inconsolably, her mother asked her to give the mobile to somebody else, after which she spoke to the girl's colleague.
"When I went to the casualty room I saw my daughter crying there and seeing me made her cry more," the mother says.
"When I asked her what happened (the survivor) said that she has been forcefully raped by five persons," the statement adds.
When the mother asked about the identity of the accused, the girl said, "Mummy I don't know their names I know only their description."
(With agency inputs)