Left to die on rail track, rape victim marches on

She breaks down briefly, but quickly regains her composure. “I usually don’t cry. Just sometimes…,” she says.

“The train that ran over me stopped and took me to the nearest hospital from where I was shifted to a hospital in Udaipur. There, I continued to stay in a rented accommodation because if I went back to my village, they would have killed me. The accused belong to the upper caste Rajput community while we are Kumhars. They are very powerful,” she says. “They came to the hospital to threaten me and told me not to register a case. They offered me money to keep quiet. Pappu’s family and friends still come and threaten us.”

While Narwar (27) and Kamal (22) are still lodged in jail, Pappu (40) is out on bail. The victim alleges Pappu’s name was left out of the FIR to protect him. The woman’s statement, recorded under section 164 of the CrPC, charges Pappu with attempt to murder, intimidation, while the two prime accused have been charged with rape, attempt to murder, molestation, intimidation, kidnapping and wrongful confinement. Of the 31 witnesses, several have already deposed in court, some turning hostile, others sticking to her version. The victim and her mother are yet to testify.

Taking a short break from her physiotherapy session, she talks about how, in the past nine months, her resolve to seek justice and regain a normal life has strengthened. “It was only for the first two months that my mother helped me with showering and daily chores. Now I do everything on my own. I have to get back on my feet. This time I will study hard and get a good job,” she says. She had to drop out of school after fifth grade, but has now returned to a school for tribals and poor girls. Even when she watches TV, she tries to learn, reading the news ticker out loud.

The woman was given a compensation of Rs 1.5 lakh by the previous Ashok Gehlot government and another Rs 50,000 by the district Mahila Sahayata Samiti — barely enough to run the house and pay for her treatment. The state women’s commission helped her get a Jaipur Foot, but the heavy, unbending prosthetic hardly provided any relief. It was only after a German journalist, Hilmar Koenig, met her and wrote about the difficulties faced by handicapped voters that the international community took notice and donations started pouring in. The funds helped her get advanced prosthetics that bend at the knees and ankles and aide normal movement.

The road ahead for her is full of court hearings, school classes and, she hopes, a new life. “I have to get back on my feet. There is a lot to be done,” she says.