Spanish Biker on a World Trip Gang Raped in Jharkhand
A 35-year-old Spanish woman traveling India along with her husband as part of their world trip was gang raped by 7 men in the Kurumahat area of Dumka, Jharkhand on the night of 1st March 2024.
‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ meaning ‘Guest is God’ has always been the unanimous slogan & motto of India. But the recent shocking incident that took place in Jharkhand, shows that not everyone believes and follows this statement. A 35-year-old Spanish woman and her husband from Brazil were traveling to India as part of their world trip. The woman is a travel blogger & has more than 2 lakh followers on Instagram. They arrived in Kurumahat of Dumka district, Jharkhand from West Bengal on 1st March 2024 at 5 pm on their motorbikes and were en route to Nepal. The couple had stopped their motorbikes to set up a tent to pass the night in a semi-forested area, around 2 km away from the main road in the Kurumahat area of Dumka. When they were carrying their tents, they were stopped and attacked by 7 men. The woman was allegedly gang-raped, and her husband was brutally assaulted by all 7 men and then robbed. The Kurumahat area falls under the jurisdiction of the Hansdiha police station. The police got to know about the incident at around 11 pm. According to the reports, the woman had stopped a police patrol van in the area and pleaded for help. Upon seeing her injuries and her husband’s condition, the police immediately took them to a hospital, where the medical examinations confirmed that the woman had been sexually assaulted. The woman and her husband shared their horrifying ordeals in a video message and shared it on Instagram. In the video, the woman expressed the trauma & said, “Something has happened to us that we would not wish on anyone, seven men have raped me. They have beaten us and robbed us. Although, not many things, because they wanted to rape me. We are in hospital with the police, it happened tonight here in India.”
The video has gone viral on the internet. In another post, the woman’s husband said that he was hit several times in the head with a helmet & a big stone and that his “mouth is destroyed” and the woman added, “I thought we were going to die. Thank God we are alive”. According to the reports, local Jharkhand Police has identified all the accused out of which 4 have already been arrested too. The 4 arrested accused admitted that they attacked the couple with an “intent to rape” the woman. Dumka’s Superintendent of Police, SP Pitamber Singh Kherwar said that a special investigation team (SIT) has been formed to catch & arrest the remaining culprits. Dumka deputy commissioner Anjaneyulu Dodde said that the couple has gone through all the required medical & legal procedures and that their statements have also been recorded before a magistrate under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). The couple is currently being kept at a secured location. The couple was interviewed online by Spanish TV channel Antena 3 in which they shared the incident in detail. As a result, most of the major international newspapers and news channels covered the incident. The Spanish foreign ministry is sending staff to the area and has been in touch with authorities. The Brazilian foreign ministry said that it is in constant contact with the couple through its embassy in New Delhi and is ready to give every required assistance. The incident has sparked outrage, with netizens questioning the prevailing law-and-order of Jharkhand. Actors Richa Chadha & Dulquer Salmaan and Indian playback singer Chinmayi Sripaada expressed their anger & disgust and called the shameful incident an Indian defaming act. Both the ruling as well as opposition parties condemned this incident in the Jharkhand assembly. On 5th March 2024, the Jharkhand district administration handed the couple ?10 lakh under the victim compensation scheme and said that they are trying for a speedy trial and conviction of the accused. The couple has now left for Nepal via Bihar on their motorcycles. In an interview, the woman said that they would continue their world tour as planned. She also said, “People of India are nice. I don't blame the people, but I blame the criminals. People of India have treated me very well, and were very kind to me.”
Recently, horrifying reports of mass rape came from West Bengal’s Sandeshkhali village. ISH released a video on it. Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3nMZqI-Cuw)
