Contempt for tribal life laid bare as women raped to death in Madhya Pradesh

A particularly brutal case of rape ending in the death of the victim raises serious questions about the conditions of disadvantaged groups. Ambedkar's grandson: ‘The big parties say nothing because she did not belong to a higher caste.’ Sr. Dorothy Fernandes to AsiaNews: ‘The increase in gang rape is a sign of a sick society.’

Bhopal (AsiaNews) - A new particularly brutal case of rape against a tribal woman in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh has brought to the forefront the shame of gender-based violence that most easily targets the most disadvantaged social groups. A 45-year-old mother of two was the victim of an alleged gang rape a few days ago in the village of Eitwa in the district of Khandwa.

The local police superintendent said that after attending a wedding, the victim was allegedly attacked by a man who, together with another person, took her to his home and raped her with such brutality that parts of her small intestine protruded from her body, causing bleeding that led to her death the following day. Finding her in a pitiful condition, the family took the victim home, but only informed the police after her death, who then arrested the two men. Even the doctors who performed the autopsy were shocked to see her condition.

Prakash Ambedkar, the grandson of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar (1891-1956), a historic figure in India who fought many battles for the rights of Dalits, tribal people and other backward classes, commented on the incident. ‘India's outrage is selective and is defined according to the caste of the victim,’ he said in a tweet. ‘The big parties like the BJP and Congress will be outraged by these stories only during election season. The reluctance of upper-caste Indians to protest reveals the value of a Dalit's and an Adivasi's life in their minds. Not only do our demands for justice fall on deaf ears, but so do our cries of anger.’

Sr. Dorothy Fernandes, former national coordinator of the Forum of Religious Leaders for Justice and Peace, who has worked among the marginalised and poor in Patna, Bihar, also commented on the incident. ‘The recent increase in gang rape crimes,’ she told AsiaNews, "describes the sad state of a sick society. It also demonstrates the unequal distribution of power that sanctions such crimes. A woman's body has become a playground for male lust. Until power is shared equally, this threat will continue. The silence in society, the indifference to the suffering of the weak and vulnerable, is turning us into a selfish people... Humanity must wake up, must feel, must act, before it is too late and there is no one left to make our voice heard."

• India
• women
• violence