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Sector: Legal Cell
After the death of her mother, Rani’s life would
never be the same. The pain of this loss caused
her father to begin drinking alcohol heavily.
Unable to control his problem, Rani’s father
began taking out his anger on his three
daughters and one son. Rani’s father started
 sexually
assaulting his two older daughters. They
desperately wanted to seek out help and tell
someone their story; however, they were told to
keep quiet. Finally, they could tolerate no
more. Both girls complained to their Panchayat
(local governing body) and their Mama (maternal
uncle). The Panchayat said that because this was
a family matter, it would not take any action.
Rani’s Uncle felt he could not speak up. After
some deliberation, he decided the best course of
action would be to quickly marry the girls off
even though they were only 12 and 14 years old.
However, this was only a temporary solution to
deal with the father’s drinking problem.
When Rani was only eight years old, her father
started to sexually abuse her. This continued
for six long, grueling years. While other
children in her village received love and care
from their fathers, Rani and her brother, Rakesh,
were victims of their father’s despair. As
children, they were helpless in being able to
defend themselves. Even when they thought about
seeking help, their father threatened to kill
them with a knife that he always kept tucked
away. They had no choice but to be at the mercy
of their father. Whether it was Rakesh or Rani,
their father constantly needed an outlet for his
anger. The father would often beat Rakesh if he
was at home. As for Rani, her father would send
Rakesh away at night so that he could abuse her.
Rakesh was forced to sleep in his neighbor’s
dirty cowshed, leaving him oblivious to the
whole situation. He would leave early each
morning so that his neighbors would not find out
he was there. With Rakesh gone every night, Rani
had never felt so alone in her life.
When Rani tried to get her brother’s support in
talking to the police, he denied the whole
situation. To admit that his father was abusing
his own sister would be to ruin any prospect of
a normal family life. This drove Rani to take
drastic actions against her father. Once, while
her father and brother were working in the
field, Rani decided to poison her father’s
dinner with pesticide. Rakesh returned from the
field early and asked to eat his dinner. He took
the poisoned thali that was meant for his
father; however, Rani immediately snatched it
away from him. Rakesh instantly knew that
something was not right. Rani was forced to
expose her plan to poison her father and Rakesh
prevented her from doing so. Although no one
listened to Rani’s story at first, it was not
enough for her to give up.
After six years of taking the abuse of her
father, 14 year old Rani decided to tell the
Mahila Mandal (Village Women’s Group) President
and Secretary about what her father was doing to
her. When she approached the Mahila Mandal, she
was very disturbed. Vocalizing her experience
was hard enough; however, not knowing if the
Mahila Mandal members could help her was even
worse. But the Mahila Mandal members came
through for Rani. Although they were not sure
what to do, they had heard about CORD’s Legal
Cell Sector and they decided to seek their help.
When they arrived at CORD, they talked to CORD
workers Jyoti and Pushpa about their situation.
They then went to the Deputy Director of CORD
for guidance.
CORD recommended that the women seek help from
the police. However, this would require funds
that Rani did not have. So the Mahila Mandal
women decided to take action. Without hesitation
the women gave 15 rupees each so that Rani and
the Mahila Mandal President and Secretary could
hire a vehicle to go to the police station. With
CORD workers Mamta and Pushpa, the women met
with police officer Shri Deshraj Chandrotiya
with the hope that Rani would get her life back
into order. The police did an immediate
investigation and that very day they arrested
Rani’s father while she was in school. The
police filed a First Information Report (FIR)
with help of the Mahila Mandal members. Rani
attempted to have a medical examination done at
Dharamsala Hospital. When Rani wa s
able to see a doctor, the doctor refused to
examine her because she was a minor and had no
family present. Rani, accompanied by a CORD
worker, visited her sisters’ homes and begged
them to accompany her at the hospital so that
they could stop their father from ever hurting
any of them again. The elder sister refused to
give support; however, Rani’s other sister knew
that she had to help in some way, so she
secretly went with Rani to the hospital so that
her in-laws would not find out. The doctor
examined Rani and confirmed her story about her
father. The police went to Rani’s home and
collected evidence supporting Rani’s statement
that her father had threatened to kill his
children.
After her father was arrested, Rani stayed at
CORD for a week. To protect her identity, people
were told that she was just a young rural girl
wanting to take computer classes. Alongside
Lalita, a Legal Cell worker, Rani was given
company and a friend so that she would not feel
alone. Rani also stayed at some of the CORD
workers’ homes so that she constantly had
company. However, a more sustainable solution
would have to be found.
Despite her father being in jail, Rani still had
to deal with the psychological damage that her
father had caused. Rani’s two older sisters cut
themselves off from Rani and her brother. Their
in-laws were unaware of their hidden past and
would surely disown them if they found out. CORD
suggested to Rani that she start the healing
process in her own village. However, Rani could
not bear the site of the village since she knew
she no longer had their support. Although she
was proud of her actions, her family and village
could not understand what she had done. They
looked at her as if she had committed a sin.
Even the Mahila Mandal members who had helped
Rani were receiving criticism from the other
villagers for filing a police report. Due to
social pressure and established village norms,
going to the police was seen as disruptive of
village life. Discussion of what happened to
Rani was taboo, even if it meant that the truth
would remain hidden. Rani knew in her heart that
they would never let her live in peace. CORD
acknowledged her resentment at staying in her
own village and suggested that she stay at Bal
Sadan Panchkula, a loving home for girls in
Chandigarh run by Chinmaya Mission members.
There, she would have the opportunity to
continue her education and start her life over
again.
Rakesh still had more obstacles to face. His
father wanted to pay bail and be a free man.
When their father tried to pay the bail money,
he was short of funds. In desperation, he
decided to sell his land in order to meet
advocate and court fees. This put Rakesh in a
difficult situation since not only was he living
on this land, but it had been passed down from
his grandfather. Fortunately, he was able to
keep some of the land because his father’s bail
was denied. CORD acted on Rani’s behalf by
informing Rani’s advocate of all the case
details. Rani’s advocate from the Human Rights
Law Network researched the case and informed
Rani’s lawyer of the entire situation. The
advocate also advised the lawyer to argue that
if her father was let out on bail, he would
create additional problems for his children. The
judge ruled in favor of Rani. By winning the
case, Rani had won back the possibility for a
happy life.
Currently, Rani is in the 6th standard and doing
well. She is finally able to have a normal life
where she is not criticized for the actions she
took against her father. At present, Rakesh is
in the 10th standard and living in his home. He
receives help and support from the Mahila Mandal
in order to make himself independent and
self-sufficient. Rakesh has stayed in close
contact with CORD and participates in many of
CORD’s youth programs. Although Rani and Rakesh
have had to deal with a troubled past, they are
able to live peacefully knowing that justice was
served.
NOTE: The names of the characters have been
changed.
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