Injustice often hides behind silence. But what happens when the system meant to protect us betrays us instead?
It is what happened to a 23-year-old hardworking daughter of a poor family in Thanjavur who was abducted, beaten up and raped by a group of six men while she was returning home from the bank.
One of the rapists was a ruling DMK functionary and a Udhayanidhi Stalin fan club member. Some reports say he joined the AIADMK while the DMK has been trying hard to mark him as a BJP member. Be that as it may.
This story is not easy to tell, but it needs to be told nonetheless because the institutions that should have protected and sympathised with her failed her, and she deserves justice.
In Pappanad village, just 25 kilometres from Thanjavur, a heinous crime took place on August 12th, 2024, when six men brutally gang-raped a 23-year-old woman.
From a humble family, this girl had completed her Masters’s degree in Microbiology and worked for a private firm in Chennai.
She was visiting her parents in the village when she was attacked. Here’s a timeline of the events as reported by Outlook.
Date: 12 August 2024, Time: 3 PM
It was supposed to be an ordinary day. She had finished some paperwork in her college and bank, and was returning home
She was suddenly confronted by someone she knew — Kavidasan. He demanded she get on his bike, but when she refused and walked away, he and five others appeared from behind her and dragged her to an isolated spot. Six men assaulted her, beating her into silence and overpowering her screams. The poor girl couldn’t stand the blows and fell unconscious soon. Sleeping just meters away, her father had no idea what was happening to his daughter.
Date: 12 August 2024, Time: 4:30 PM
Despite the horror she endured, she showed incredible bravery when she woke up. She went to the Pappanad police station with her family, determined to get justice. But that’s when the system betrayed her.
But that’s when the system betrayed her.
Instead of registering her case, the woman officer in charge demanded a written complaint, something the law does not require.
They didn’t offer medical assistance or show any concern for her wellbeing.
Date: 12 August 2024, Time: 5:15 PM
Confused and desperate, the family traveled to another police station at Pattukottai, 14 kilometers away. There too, they were turned away.
They were advised to go to the hospital and referred back to another police station. No one was interested in her ordeal.
Date: 12 August 2024, Time: 6:00 PM
At the hospital, she was again neglected. Neither the doctor nor the nurses attended to her.
Despite her exhaustion, the hospital staff refused to treat her, insisting she first returns with a registered police complaint.
Date: 12 August 2024, Time: 10:45 PM
She arrived at the Orathanadu Police Station, an All-Women Police Station located 28 km from the Government Hospital in Pattukottai.
She was taken to RMH Hospital in Thanjavur for a medical examination.
Seven hours passed before she was finally taken to the hospital for medical care.
Date: 13 August 2024, Time: 7:00 AM
The FIR was registered only the following day — 15 hours after the attack. The girl didnt even had the opportunity to cry and express her pain while she was running from pillar to post.
According to Indian law, the police cannot refuse to register a crime. Section 173 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita clarifies that a complaint can be given orally, electronically, or in writing.
A 15-hour delay in filing the FIR is not just a procedural error; it weakens the entire case.
The trauma didn’t end there. Her nightmare continued when she was confronted by two of her rapists in court. One even had the audacity to ask her not to name him in her statement.
Despite her clear testimony, the police registered the case against only four men, leaving out two attackers.
Yet, CCTV footage clearly shows six men leaving the scene together.
The survivor, an educated woman with a Master’s in Microbiology, lives in complete isolation.
The Leftist-Dravidianist media have maintained a stoic silence on the matter.
The so-called champions of women and outlets that claim to “speak truth to power” are absent.
Those who were outraged over the Pollachi issue when the AIADMK was in power haven’t even reported on this issue.
Is it because one of the accused was a member of DMK scion Udhayanidhi Stalin’s fan club?
Is it because raising outrage over the issue would upset the powers that be?
Outlook magazine covered this case in detail. Their reporter visited the village and spoke to the survivor. The survivor had only one question: ‘Will this case be over in a month or two? When will I go back to my normal life?
Her question echoes for thousands of victims like her. The law protects the vulnerable, but when those sworn to uphold justice fail them, what does justice even mean for the powerless?
This is the story of a survivor who, despite her courage, was failed at every turn—by the police, the hospital, and the legal system.
But her fight isn’t over. She still hasn’t returned to work. Her life has been turned upside down, and justice remains elusive.
Her question—’ When will this case be over?’—is one we must all ask with her. She could be any one of us. Let’s make sure no other survivor is silenced.
Share her story. Demand justice.
Sharika is a columnist who writes on political affairs and social issues.
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