She says she was gang raped five years back by four people, including the owner of the garment factory where she worked. In despair, she swallowed a poisonous substance while standing in the witness box.
“I have not got justice, either from the police or from the court. I have been deserted; nobody in society has accepted me. Today, I failed to meet even death.” These are the words of the alleged gang rape victim who tried to kill herself inside a courtroom on Wednesday.
The alleged victim, 31-year-old Khushboo (name changed), consumed a poisonous substance while standing in the witness box in the presence of magistrate SV Parekh in a Gheekanta courtroom. She fainted in the courtroom after consuming the poison. Lawyers present at the spot called a ‘108’ ambulance which took her to VS Hospital where she is currently under treatment.
Talking to journalists at the hospital, Khushboo claimed that she had tried to commit suicide out of despair as her quest for justice had yielded no results though five years had passed after the incident. Bharat Shah, vice-president of the Ahmedabad Criminal Court Bar Association, had rushed to the courtroom immediately after the incident on Wednesday. He said the suicide bid had taken place at around 12:30 pm when the court staff called out her case for its hearing.
“She went to the witness box and shouted, ‘I am not getting justice and I am ending my life’. Then she consumed the poison. We then called the 108 service and the police,” Shah said. The Karanj police have started investigations in the case. The girl was allegedly gang raped on April 6, 2007 by the owner of a garment manufacturing factory and three others with the help of two female workers. When the Amraiwadi police did not register her complaint, her mother had approached the court for justice.
