Yet Another Dalit Woman Raped, On Gunpoint, For Not Repaying Loan

A Dalit woman in Jharkhand's Chatra district was raped at gunpoint by her lender for not repaying the loan. The woman had been paying back Rs 25,000 she borrowed from him in small amounts. Despite that, the lender entered her house, demanded money and raped her. The incident happened on the evening of May 18 and the woman registered a complaint at a woman's police station on May 22. However, for 25 days, no police action was taken. 

Yet Another Dalit Woman Raped For Not Repaying A Loan

The survivor had borrowed Rs 25,000 from Gadia Village's money lender Baljeet Yadav. She was paying the money back in small instalments. However, when Baljeet started pressuring her to share her phone number, the survivor refused and said that she would be paying the amount in small instalments. 

Still, Baljeet persisted in asking for her number. Whenever he encountered her in the village, he used to stop his vehicle and ask for the woman's phone number. The woman offered to provide her husband's phone number but Blajeet threatened to harm her husband. So, she ended up sharing her number due to pressure. It was after this, that Baljeet started calling her constantly. The survivor used to disconnect his call and he had been harassing and following her since May 13. 

On the evening of May 18, he forcibly entered her house and started demanding his money back. Holding the woman at gunpoint, Baljeet raped her despite her resistance. 

He even threatened her not to raise a hue and cry. In her statement, the woman said, "Despite my protests, he held me captive at gunpoint and raped me. After the rape, Baljeet, while leaving the house, said that if I raise a hue and cry, he will kill me and my entire family." 

The survivor and her family registered a police complaint at the women's police station but the case was not registered. The woman herself went to the station on June 13 to check the status of the complaint but she was rebuffed and sent back. Then, the woman wrote an application to the office of the Superintendent of Police. Following this, the superintendent intervened in the case and Baljeet got arrested on Saturday night. 

"The accused was arrested late in the night on Saturday. Due to some lapses at the level of the local police station, the arrest was delayed,” Sadar SDPO Sandeep Suman said. Action will be taken against the police in charge of the station in the village. 

The SDPO also said that the accused has been sent to the court and the woman's complaint has been registered under Section 164 of the CrPC. The investigation is underway. 

Similar incidents of Dalit women being abused

In a similar incident that happened in 2023, a Dalit woman in Bihar's Patna was assaulted with sticks, and stripped naked by the creditors and their aide who also allegedly urinated in her mouth. She refused to pay an additional interest of Rs 1500 on the Rs 9000 she had borrowed and returned. 

In the same year, a sub-inspector in UP's Prayagraj was suspended for raping a Dalit woman who approached him with a complaint. The woman was facing death threats and was being assaulted by someone. She approached the officer with her complaint. In the evening, the officer called her to the station saying that he would arrest the accused. The woman went in a car with him. The officer offered the woman a cold drink which was spiked. After the woman became unconscious, he sexually assaulted her.  

These incidents show how many powerful people misuse their position to harass women, especially those belonging to lower caste. 

Power Fails To Protect Dalit Women

Dali women are harassed by major sections of society, including police officers, for their gender and caste. The gender entices the abusers and the caste makes them blind to the laws and their consequences. They assume that "these women" will never go to the police or will never be heard.

A similar thing happened in the Jharkhand rape case too. Despite the woman registering a complaint, the police station meant for the welfare of women didn't even register a case. If the Dalit woman hadn't been literate enough to submit an application to higher officers, the case would never be solved and she would never get justice. 

It is crucial to stop caste and gender discrimination so that  Dalit women are not in the headlines every day as the sufferers of the new low of humanity. Just because a woman is a Dalit, she is stripped of her rights to modesty and safety. Their caste might be a part of their identity but not a licence to be an easy target. 

Views expressed are the author's own.