Mother in denial, docs offer help

While everybody was almost sure that the end was a matter of only a few hours, the rape victim’s mother — “a simple, rustic” woman — still hoped to take her daughter back home. Jaya Shroff Bhalla reports.

While everybody was almost sure that the end was a matter of only a few hours, the rape victim’s mother — “a simple, rustic” woman — still hoped to take her daughter back home.

A-woman-walks-past-a-billboard-calling-for-capital-punishment-against-rape-in-New-Delhi-AFP-Raveendran

The victim’s family, which had come to Delhi from a remote village in Ballia district in eastern Uttar Pradesh in search of a better life, is trying to come to terms with her death. But the mother is still in a state of denial.

Dr Yatin Mehta of Medanta-the Medicity, who accompanied the victim to Singapore, described the family as “very simple, rustic people”, saying, “Even when we explained that the victim was sinking fast, her mother kept on pleading: ‘Please tell me when I could take her home’.”

In fact, since the night of the assault when the victim was brought to Safdarjung Hospital, her mother had only one plea: “Bacchi bacha lo (save my daughter).”

Dr BD Athani, medical superintendent of Safdarjung Hospital, said the mother would suffer the biggest trauma. “We will ask the government to send the mother to us for long-term psychological counselling.”