After a telephone operator who was gang-raped on the Shakti mills premises last year sought financial assistance from the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, the Commission has directed that relief amount of Rs. 5 lakh be given to her. In a letter written to the Commission last week, the 20-year-old survivor had elaborated how she faced severe financial crisis since she was the only earning member in the family. “I have received the letter from the survivor. We have written to the Mumbai Police Commissioner and Collector to add the relevant sections of the atrocities prevention Act, and give her relief amount of Rs 5 lakh,” Dr Raj Kumar Verka, Vice-Chairperson of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, told The Hindu .
He said that the State government should take initiative and provide job to a family member of the survivor. The 20-year old telephone operator belongs to the Valmiki caste, which is Scheduled Caste. She was gang-raped on the same premise where a photojournalist was later brutalised. Days after the incident, she registered a complaint with the police who failed to add the relevant sections of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in the First Information Report (FIR). She wrote to the Commission last week saying she should not be made to suffer “due to the negligence of the investigating and prosecuting agencies.”
“I am currently studying in the 10th standard in a night school. After the traumatic incident of gang-rape, I have been unable to go back to work. I am still undergoing medical treatment (both physical and psychological) and my mother is unable to incur these expenses any further,” she said in the letter, adding that she lost her father quite a few years ago. “Since then my mother, two sisters and I have been struggling to make ends meet. We are currently facing immense financial hardship. In light of the horrific offence committed upon me and my adverse financial situation, I request the Commission to kindly sanction appropriate financial aid / compensation to me in accordance with the beneficial provisions and schemes for Scheduled Castes,” the letter stated further.
On Thursday, she said she was happy to hear that the Commission had ordered some relief fund for her. She hoped that she would get the money soon. “I am the only earning member in my family. Since last July I have suffered extreme mental and physical pain. The State’s attention was only towards building a water-tight case. Their only focus was to punish those five men. No one cared for my health, my mental condition, my family problems. I want to study and support my family. But for that I need financial help. Hope the National Commission helps me with the compensation money,” she said. According to the provisions under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, a rape survivor belonging to SC or ST community is given a monetary compensation of Rs. 1.2 lakh. “But the relevant sections of the Act should be added at the FIR-stage or at the trial stage. In this case, that has not happened,” advocate Persis Sidhva associated with Majlis Legal Centre, said.
Mr. Verka said that relief will be provided to the survivor from the Social Justice Fund which is a central government-assisted fund.
