In the Mysuru gangrape case, no arrests have been made so far with the survivor being critical. Meanwhile, a minister’s shocking remarks have reignited the debate on blaming the survivor for a sexual assault. The incident took place on Tuesday and came into light on Wednesday this week. The survivor was allegedly raped by 4-5 men when she was traveling with her friend and going through a forested region.
Details
Trigger Warning: Rape
From the 2020 Hathras gangrape case, to the 2021 Badaun gangrape, to the most recent Mysuru gangrape case, each of these cases have a few things in common, it involves a woman being subjected to unprecedented agony, it involves the judgement of justice to come slow, and it involves the rape survivor/victim to be blamed for the heinous crime.
The Facts of the Matter
The recent Mysuru gangrape case follows the suit of the aforementioned rape cases. Recently, a 23-year-old MBA student was gangraped by multiple persons when she was traveling with her male friend in Mysuru on August 23, Tuesday. The accused persons went on to badly thrash the friend of the rape survivor as well.
After the police took the statement from the friend of the survivor, a few details became clearer. The incident took place in the Lalithadripura region in Mysuru, a forested area, not often frequented by masses. Reportedly the woman has been identified as not a Karnataka citizen and had come to study in Mysuru.
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Accused Were Drunk, Wanted to Rob, Went on to Rape
According to the police officials, the survivor and her friend were first cornered by the accused on an isolated route that goes to Chamundi Hills. The accused were drunk, and wanted to rob the duo first, but later went on to take the woman away to a different spot to rape her.
After the incident, Mysuru Police Commissioner was quoted saying, “These cases are very sensitive. We cannot reveal too many details. An FIR has been registered. We will know how the attack happened when we get a statement from the victim. Meanwhile, her friend has given a statement and we have filed an FIR on the basis of that.”
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“Congress Trying to Rape Me”: Home Minister’s Shocking Reply
As a consequence, to the incident, opposition party Congress slammed the Karnataka government on its law-and-order situation. To this, Home Minister Jnanendra accused Congress of politicizing the incident and gave a distasteful remark that the party was trying to “rape” him. “Rape has happened there, but the Congress was trying to rape me, they are trying to rape the Home Minister. They are trying to gain political mileage. it is an inhuman act,” he said.
This has not been the only insensitive remark made by the home minister. Speaking to media, Jnanendra also blamed the survivor and said, “Around 7-7:30 pm (on Tuesday) they (the girl and her male friend) had gone there. It is a deserted place, they should not have gone, but we can’t stop anyone from going… It is a deserted place and no one usually goes there as no one will be there.”
Also Read: “Sexual Intercourse by Husband – Even if Forced – Not Rape”: Chhattisgarh HC
“What she was doing there?” Former Women’s Commission Chief Questions Survivor
Adding to the series of remarkably horrific statements, the former Karnataka Women’s Commission chairperson too blamed the survivor and questioned what she and her friend were doing at the desolate place. “At this moment, I feel disgusted that an MBA student was at the foothills of Chamundi hills at the time. I don’t know what she was doing there. It’s also wrong,”
