Irular women's rape: Community demands arrest of all accused policemen

The Irular Protection of Rights Organisation has demanded the arrest of all the policemen accused of the rape of four Irular women in 2011 and wants the Tamil Nadu government to provide livelihood support to the victims. The community made the demand after one of the policemen, an inspector, was arrested recently.

In November 2011, a police team had taken into custody nine Irular men who lived on the banks of the Thenpennai river on allegations of theft. The nine men were brutally assaulted in the police station and later the policemen led by the inspector barged into the huts of these men, forcibly took four women and raped them outside in a Casuarina forest.

Tribal activist Kalyani, who is at the forefront of the campaign to arrest the policemen, told media persons that of the four, one was three months pregnant and later had a miscarriage. The activist also said the women were so terrified that they were afraid of going out of their homes, fearing society and the police.

The women were rescued by a social activist P.V. Ramesh, who had provided them asylum at his home and later lodged a complaint with the Villupuram police station. After this, the case was taken up.

However the case moved at a snail's pace. Meanwhile, another Irular organisation, Pazhangadi Makkal Viduthalai Katchi (PMVK) alleged that the rape case was a framed one and that the policemen had just gone to the huts of the Irualrs for some inquiry.

Kalyani claimed that the PMVK people even tried to kidnap the survivors in front of the police at Gingee.

On the contrary, a case was filed against both Ramesh and Kalyani. They had to fight the case in court and after 11 years, the Madras High Court quashed the case against them in October this year.

During the trial of the case against Ramesh and Kalyani, the court took up the previous complaints against the police and directed the arrest of the Inspector of Thirukovilur police station on rape charges.

Kalyani said that the rape case will be heard by the Villupuram SC/ST Special court from this week onwards and hoped for justice to be delivered to the four victims.