When violent agitations by the Jat community in Haryana laid a nine-day-long siege to the state demanding reservation in public-sector jobs in February this year, India was rocked by allegations of mass rapes of women near Delhi at Murthal during one such blockade.
An English newspaper, The Tribune, quoting witnesses reported that on the night of February 21 this year, a violent mob dragged several women from their cars stuck in traffic jam and raped them in nearby fields.
The allegations were quickly dismissed by the state police. It was only after the high court stepped in that a formal investigation started.
Despite witnesses corroborating the events, the allege victims are reluctant to come forward.
Source: Hindustan Times, Getty Images
But, an anonymous statement posted on social media, purportedly by an Indian-Australian woman described the horrific details of the circumstances leading to her being raped.
This occurred when hundreds of vehicles were caught in a massive traffic jam near Murthal, 50 km from Indian’s capital Delhi.
"I woke up to a loud bang and someone had broken the window of our car," the statement read by the woman who along with her husband, daughter, sister-in-law, niece and niece's husband had flown into Delhi on February 21 were travelling to Chandigarh by taxi.
"The mob was hurling abuses and diesel was thrown on cars. My husband who was sitting with the driver had an injury on his forehead from a sword attack. I and my niece escaped from the right door and my sis-in-law and daughter escaped from the back door.”
The statement describes how she was pulled into the fields.
"In the screams and chaos, we didn't know where we were running and whose hands we were holding."
"There was no one who could hear my screams there.
Only sleeves were left of my kameez. I don't know if they were 5 or 50. I don't remember if I walked to that house or I gained consciousness in that house. My body had strange clothes and villagers were searching for my relatives.
"Only sleeves were left of my kameez. I don't know if they were 5 or 50. I don't remember if I walked to that house or I gained consciousness in that house. My body had strange clothes and villagers were searching for my relatives."
"My sister-in-law was so scared that she refused to recognise us and didn't let anyone come near her."
It claims that the police told that police told them to keep quiet to save their “honour”.
The woman’s identity is being closely guarded by the state police and all the status reports about the progress of investigation in this case is submitted in a sealed cover in the court.
Source: Hindustan Times, Getty Images
Head of the special investigation team, Mamata Singh told Fairfax Media that she had spoken to the woman over the phone and found her statement inconsistent.
"I had a talk with them, but I'm not sure whether they are victims or not. They are denying it all, they said they never travelled by road to Punjab but instead got a flight, said Ms. Singh.
However, court-appointed lawyer Anupam Gupta said he had heard strong testimony from the main witness in the case who owns a roadside restaurant about how several distraught and near-naked women had arrived at his business late that night.
A handful of witnesses came forward to offer the account of what they witnessed on the night of 21 February. However, they fear backlash from the dominant Jat community in the state that has already begun the phase II of the agitation to get the government to accede to their demands.
READ MORE
Jat agitation paralyses Haryana
Do you know more about this? Email us at Punjabi.Program@sbs.com.au
