Bhatta women brace for bigger battle

More than five months after securitymen allegedly raped women in Bhatta-Parsaul during an agitation over land acquisition, the police on Monday lodged an FIR, but according to the complainants ‘a bigger battle awaits them.’

More than five months after securitymen allegedly raped women in Bhatta-Parsaul during an agitation over land acquisition, the police on Monday lodged an FIR, but according to the complainants ‘a bigger battle awaits them.’

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“It’s not a verdict. We moved the chief judicial magistrate (CJM) when the police did not registered a case. We know the police will do everything, during investigation, to prove the charges are bogus. The real battle for justice begins now,” said a complainant on whose complaint the CJM ordered an FIR be lodged against 16 policemen.

“We first went to Dankaur police station to register the FIR. We were turned away. We then moved the CJM court and got an order that the police lodge an FIR. The police challenged the order in the district court as well as the high court, but the two courts rejected their petitions,” said Ved Prakash Sharma, complainant’s lawyer.

The rape allegations pitched the Mayawati administration against Rahul Gandhi ahead of the UP assembly elections, when the Congress general secretary visited ground zero soon after the clashes and alleged policemen burned farmers alive and raped women.

“On May 12, we told the National Commission for Women (NCW) that policemen raped us. We approached the National Commission for Scheduled Caste (NCSC), which asked the police to register case. Nobody paid any heed,” said another alleged victim.