HATHRAS: The village that was the home of the 19-year-old Dalit girl has been closed. A month has passed since she was allegedly gang-raped, strangled, and left to die. And the people have become cautious and evasive.
“We have work to do,” says a Dalit woman when asked if she can speak a bit. There are four Dalit families in the village (the girl was one) who had been trained to support themselves. Now, you know, it’s time to turn to that. They all refuse to speak. The otherwise noisy upper caste families – there are 60 – have decided they’d rather not get into this. And the families of the four defendants, all upper caste, are, at best, economical with their speech. A CBI investigation is underway – the seriousness of the crime and its implications appear to have reached home. The immense scrutiny the case has attracted is not something that life here prepares you for.
The way to the victim’s house is heavily monitored. There are three levels of controls (one level higher from the last time TOI visited): at the entrance to the village, around the victim’s house, and then at the house itself. The metal detector is still in place outside. The glare of the CCTV cameras, which were installed the last time TOI visited, does not surprise anyone. Just to be safe, the cops posted outside the house take note of every person who enters and leaves the house.
When a media person begins to speak with the family, an official from the local intelligence unit intervenes and begins to videotape the conversation. “We need to have a record of all the statements made by the victim’s family,” the official said. “It’s just for your safety. It is to ensure that no one fools the family into saying something. If they refuse, the conversations will not be recorded. ”
The family goes out once or twice a day, but comes back in after brief interactions with the media. The questions are usually the same, the answers are repeated under the watchful eye of the police and the cameras. The women go out and cook, finish the housework, and feed the livestock. But for the most part, the doors are closed.
(The identity of the victim has not been disclosed to protect her privacy according to Supreme Court directives in cases involving sexual assault)
.
