Engaged a few months ago, the 21-year-old nursing student of Parul University was looking forward to a new phase of her life when life took a drastic turn. On the night of June 16, she was allegedly raped by Jayesh Patel, president and trustee of the university. After the rape and a subsequent threat from Patel, as alleged in the FIR, the woman took a day’s time to confide in her fiance. The fiance called the Gujarat government’s women’s helpline number, Abhayam 181. Within minutes, an Abhayam team arrived at the Parul Institute of Nursing campus at Waghodia, Vadodara, and ensured that a police complaint was registered. Patel was arrested on June 22. [related-post] Watch Video: What's making news Speaking to The Indian Express in a telephonic interview, the fiance recalled, “When she narrated the incident to me, I was shocked, hurt and angry. I knew we could not take it lying down. I did what any dutiful citizen must do — report the crime. We had to stop Patel from ruining the lives of other women, who may or may not have supportive families who are willing to take on an influential politician. People do not want to speak about such things because they are scared of the stigma.” The complaint, filed at Waghodia police station, accused Patel of rape. In the complaint, the woman wrote that Patel had summoned her, along with hostel rector Bhavna Chauhan, to his quarters. There, Patel forced her to drink beer in the company of four other girls, watch a raunchy movie, and raped her when everyone had departed, she alleged. Patel, a BJP leader, has since been suspended from the party and resigned from the university post. However, the fiance said, all this has not made life any easier for the woman. “She has not been able to overcome the trauma. She breaks down asking ‘How will I live with this memory’. She does not want to leave the house or continue her studies. She was ambitious and wanted to be a nurse and serve the people,” he said. “We are simple people. We do not want to become famous in such a manner. But we do want this case to be an example for others,” he added. “We were engaged a few months ago. It is an arranged marriage. We have not decided the date of the wedding, but it will happen when she is prepared to hold my hand. That day, I will invite everyone who has stood with us,” he said. “We do not want anything but justice. That man shattered her dreams, pride and confidence in minutes. We will fight this till the end,” he said.
