Rape Accused Chinmayanand Gets Bail. The Victim’s Silence Is Doing A Disservice Not Only To Her, But The Many Women Who Won’t Now Be Believed
At on point, a long time ago, talking about rape in families was a taboo, now, because of the sheer volume of it, it’s dinner table conversation and in some ways, it’s a good thing, but in many other ways, it means that we may be desensitised towards it. In our country, chances are, and they are high, that if you’re a woman you have probably been either assaulted, raped or abused at the hands of a monster of a man at least once in life. I know, because I have too. But that is still not the most alarming of statistics here, because what truly comes as a shock is the fact that even after cases of rape and assault against women being reported on the daily in large number, there still remain so many more cases that never see the light of day, for the victims are often too scared or scarred to come forward with it.
They say, trauma lives in the body. That it never really leaves you as it nestles itself like a body part, one that is possibly the most heaviest of them all to carry. And one of the side effects of having been traumatised is the silence that follows it. Most women in our country are still struggling with their own struggles and stories of exploitation with a deafening silence that must be broken now. And we say this because the cost of that silence is often letting the guy who did it, off the hook. As might just happen in the case of the accused.
And I say this, because I am dragging my own monsters behind my back for a long time now, as is probably every other woman in this country. As disheartening as it maybe, it is also true. And while the only change that has prospered is that women are now speaking up about their injustices, there still remain quite a few women out there who have let their silence and fear of being mistreated again, get the better of them. Something we have witnessed in the case of the accused Former Union Minister, Chinmayanand.
Also Read : In UP, A Rape Accused’s Family Threw Acid On The Survivor To Intimidate Her Into Taking Her Complaint Back. We’re Failing Our Women Every Day!
Accused by a law student, 23, for sexually exploiting her, the former Union Minister was recently granted bail because the accuser recently decided to purse her lips when it came to testifying against the man she claimed to be her assaulter. What the Allahabad High Court is now claiming to be a case of Quid Pro Quo, observed that the fact that the accuser did not share the details with her parents or anyone for that matter, when at stake was her own ‘virginity’ and this not just astonishing, it is disheartening.
#UP #YogiAdityanath #chinmayananda
My syndicated #cartoon pic.twitter.com/PtOOvOBi6b— MANJUL (@MANJULtoons) September 30, 2019
The High Court order stated, “A girl whose virginity is at stake, not uttering a single word to her own parent or before the court regarding the alleged incident is astonishing conduct that speaks volumes about the ingeniousness of the prosecution story.” And even though we understand, how it can be awfully difficult and paralysing to come forward about an incident that has altered reality for the victim and left them ravaged and traumatised, we can’t overlook how doing so is also a disservice to her herself and the million women out there who are fighting against such perpetrators on the daily.
The Justice, Rahul Chaturvedi also mentioned, “The court draws its conclusion that it was a complete matter of quid pro quo”… but over a span of time, the greed for extracting more, the girl along with her accomplices seem to have advanced (to) hatching a conspiracy against Chinmayanand and tried to blackmail him for ransom through the obscene video clips recorded by herself,” and it proves, how her silence might just have cost her.
'Both used each other': Allahabad HC said while granting bail to Chinmayanand in sexual assault case#Chinmayanand #AllahabdHighCourt https://t.co/D9ziIOwjGR
— India TV (@indiatvnews) February 4, 2020
The court order also said, “What is mind boggling, disturbing and matter of concern that the girl comes into contact with Chinmayanand, seeks and enjoys his ‘patronage’ and ‘benevolence’ as well as on her family members and in lieu of that she was said to be exploited physically by him, keeps mum throughout the entire long period for almost nine to 10 months. She never shared anything with anyone including her parents,” a point that is now being used against her.
And even though, the details and the truth about the matter is yet to come forward, to find out out who exploited whom in this case, this is bigger and goes beyond than just this. It boils down to the fact that us women can no longer stay quiet when it comes to unmasking men who have exploited us in the name of their power all along. In a time when the word of the woman is finally being given due credit and a fair hearing, we can no longer exercise the luxury of not speaking up, for it would imply letting a criminal walk free. And more than that, it would mean encouraging every other fucked up perpetrator out there to go ahead and do whatever they have to, without fearing consequences, because there won’t be any.
And it is because of these reasons, we need to understand why it’s imperative to make our voices heard and speak up in matter of such critical importance, because honestly, it is now or never.
