Delhi case inspires Punjab rape victim

A 32-year-old woman from Punjab sat silently on a mattress near a symbolic memorial, erected for the Delhi gang rape victim, in the middle of the road at Jantar Mantar. Unlike others, she sought justice for herself, Darpan Singh reports.

A 32-year-old woman from Punjab sat silently on a mattress near a symbolic memorial, erected for the Delhi gang rape victim, in the middle of the road at Jantar Mantar. Unlike others, she sought justice for herself.

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A resident of village Satsar in Ludhiana, she claimed she has been at the tourist landmark in the Capital for 11 days. Wednesday was her third day of hunger strike. She said she was raped by a senior police officer's son in 2010 but justice had not yet been done in her case.

A class 12 dropout, she said she was raped when she had gone to a police station to lodge a case of cheating. "I have been running from pillar to post for justice. My husband works in Japan. The accused is known to the police. Nobody listens to me," she said.

Surrounded by flowers, candles and posters, she said, "The Delhi incident inspired me. I saw on TV how hundreds of people have been gathering here to seek justice for the victim. I couldn't have come to a better place to start my fight," she said.

"If the Delhi case reaches a logical conclusion, many more women would come forward and narrate tales of exploitation. My husband works in Japan. I have nobody here to help me. I will be at Jantar Mantar till I am heard and perpetrators are punished," she said.