'Can't let you in as you are Park Street rape victim': Rape survivor registers complaint after restaurant denies entry

Suzette Jordan is a victim of gang-rape. Crimes of sexual violence against her made headlines in 2012 and she became known as the 'Park Street rape victim'. However, she refuses to be labelled as a faceless victim of rape and has instead come forth, revealing her identity as a rape survivor.

It is with her permission that dna uses her real name in this report.

In a shocking incident, a restaurant in Kolkata allegedly denied entry to Suzette Jordan for "being the Park Street rape victim".

Jordan, who was gang-raped in a moving car in 2012, stated that she was categorically denied entry into the restaurant-cum-pub called Ginger in Hazra, Kolkata, on Saturday.

In a Facebook post written on Sunday, Jordan says, "Another humiliating moment in my life!!!! Was not allowed into a restaurant/pub! Known as. Ginger, Was told by the manager that being the 'PARK STREET RAPE VICTIM' he could not let me in, this was told to me repeatedly by the rude manager who brazenly challenged me and added that I could even report his name," she wrote. (sic)

Within hours the post went viral and strong criticism mounted against the restaurant owners.

"At the entrance itself I was told by a staff that I could not enter," she told dna. On asking for a reason for being denied entry, she was directed to the restaurant manager.

"We can't allow you because you are the park street rape victim" was what the manager allegedly told Jordan.

In an quote to a news channel, the restaurant has admitted to having denied Jordan permission to enter, stating that they were afraid she would "create a commotion inside the restaurant". “She’s a regular customer who had earlier come with different men and created ruckus in a drunken state. I have video footage to prove it. Hence, I restricted her entry,” the manager said, according to reports by The Hindu.

"These are malicious lies," responds Jordan. "He has even claimed that I was denied entry because of some old unpaid bills. But if I was a defaulter, as they claim, then wouldn't they have ideally demanded that I pay them the dues rather than stop me from entering because I am a rape victim?"

Jordan was raped at gunpoint in a moving car in the early hours of February 6, 2012, by five men. However, Jordan came out strongly against her aggressors. While Indian laws forbid the disclosure of a rape victim's identity, Jordan chose to not hide hers.

"I almost felt like I was raped once again," she wrote in her post. "I was humiliated in public, in front of so many other, who also did not intervene."

Jordan earned the ire of West Bengal's chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who went so far as to say that Jordan was being a liar. The incident received severe criticism and led to measures by the government, including early curfew hours for restaurants, pubs, hotels and discos in Kolkata.

Survivor shaming—a rising trend?
Jordan has decided to take action and make an official complaint. She even commended the police officials who arrived at the spot on the night of the event in question. "They  were very kind and even offered to help to register a complaint."

However, in a polity that has frequently come under criticism for the lack of sensitivity towards survivors of rape and sexual assault, this incident could be perceived as a symptom to a larger societal decay.

Rape survivor and LGBTQ rights activist Harish Iyer adds in unison, "It is a rather black day for India. We rape survivors go through stigma and get ostracised by the society at large."

"This is not an isolated case," he points out. "Those who witnessed the events as mute spectators disgust me more."

Reiterating his point over the misogyny of the Indian society, Iyer points out how this incident comes on a day when a leading publication drew flak from Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone for their sexist reports on her.

READ: 'I am a woman and have cleavage,' says Deepika Padukone, protesting against blatant sexism by English daily 

A fast increasing trend that has been observed over the years, solidarity towards rape survivors comes sparingly. Leaders and politicians too haven't shied from making sexist remarks, shaming victims, as well as outright threats of sexual violence, often belittling the trauma and stigma that accompanies crimes against women. "Why has it become okay to shame and blame the victim of the rape?" Jordan questions. "We have democratic rights too, and a most importantly right to life with dignity," she asserts.

"I am going to fight this. I am not giving up on my rights because of people like this," she adds.

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