BULANDSHAHR: Ahead of sentencing in the brutal gang rape of a woman and her daughter at gunpoint on NH-91 in Uttar Pradesh in 2016 which shocked the nation, one of the survivors - then a school girl of 14 and now a woman of 23 studying law with hopes of becoming a judge - told TOI from an undisclosed location on Sunday that what she and her family endured in the time since the incident was "savage and inhuman" but they stuck together and fought on.
"We changed addresses and cities multiple times to avoid recognition and harassment. But every time we were identified and vilified," she said, breaking down repeatedly over the course of the conversation. "I remember every face. They're not human - they are demons," she said of the continuous nightmares.
A day after a court in Bulandshahr convicted five of the men involved in the gang rape of her mother and her own self, she said it has given them hope. "But it will take a long time - perhaps an eternity - for us to heal. What they did didn't just violate our bodies - it also destroyed our lives, peace, our future." Her voice sometimes choking with emotions, she added: "The trauma never leaves you. Nights are the worst. I still wake up frightened."
The family was forced to change houses five times in the past decade. "But how long can we keep hiding our identity from neighbours?" she asked. "Someone comes to know about our past, and it spreads like fire. People start looking at us with contempt. The environment around us turns hostile. Harassers become active. They follow me on the road, pass lewd comments, and even roam around my house. But we did not break. I did not break."
Quantum of punishment likely to be announced today Repeated relocation took a toll on the family financially too. "My father once owned three cars and ran them as taxis. Today, he works night shifts driving someone else's car just to feed us," she said. She added: "I'm the only child (in the family) and I also wanted to support my parents. My education suffered as we had to change places so many times." Pursuing a law degree, she said she wants to become a judge some day for the cause of rape survivors like her.
Her mother was unable to talk much, taking long pauses and trying to hold back her tears. "We were a normal family then... We had never seen a court or spoken to police. But after that day, our lives changed forever. My daughter - only a child then - saw everything, she lived through everything," she said.
Recalling that day, her father told TOI how helpless he was. "We were supposed to attend my grandmother's funeral. It was around 1am when, on the highway, I heard a loud bang. We paused thinking something had hit our vehicle. All of a sudden, 7 to 8 men emerged from the bushes and overpowered us at gunpoint." He added: "My wife, daughter, brother, his wife and his young son were all there. They dragged my wife and daughter into the bushes. My daughter kept pleading before them. I was right there, but couldn't save them. I could hear their cries for help reverberating into the night... It still haunts me."
That incident cost them everything, he said. "I had to look for places where nobody knew us, where I could paint a past the locals would believe. Finding a job became a huge struggle. Today, I barely earn Rs 12,000-15,000 a month by driving someone else's car. I work overtime at night... All I think of now is my daughter's future."
The gruesome crime happened on July 29, 2016, when the family's vehicle was intercepted near a village, while they were travelling to Shahjahanpur from Noida. The gang of robbers held the entire family hostage at gunpoint with male members - tied and assaulted - begging for mercy, as they dragged the women to a nearby field, where they were repeatedly violated.
"Forensic evidence, including semen traces matching the convicts, played a crucial role. The court convicted Zuber alias Parvez, 35, Mohd Sajid, 37, both from Kannauj, and Dharamveer Singh, 36, Sunil Kumar, 35, Naresh Kumar, 46, from Farrukhabad district. Saleem Bawaria, 45, - the gang's kingpin - died during the trial in 2019. The convicts were unable to secure bail and remained in jail since the incident," ADGC Varun Kaushik told TOI after Saturday's conviction.
An FIR was registered against them under sections 394, 395, 397 (aggravated forms of robbery and dacoity), 376-D (gangrape), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC, and 5/6 of the Pocso Act.
The court of additional district and sessions judge-III, Omprakash Verma, concluded the legal process on Saturday and the quantum of punishment is likely to be announced on Monday.
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