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Journalism of Courage
She fought and won a 10-year-long legal battle against the men who gang-raped her during the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, but the woman, now 36, does not wish to return to her village fearing threat from the families of the convicts.
On Tuesday, a court sentenced two men, Maheshveer and Sikander, to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment in the case. The third accused, Kuldeep, died in jail three years ago.
“My children and I have suffered a lot. I am relieved that the two are behind bars but their families still threaten us. I am worried for my children… I feel I can’t live there (in the village) again,” said the woman while talking to the media. She has three children aged 12, 10 and 6.
Her lawyers, senior advocate Vrinda Grover and her team, said the road to justice was long and arduous. They spoke about the “hostile” environment and blamed the convicts’ side for “delaying” the court proceedings.
“They asked inappropriate questions to the woman… about her sexual past, insinuated promiscuity and also suggested that her marriage to her husband was illegal. All this had nothing to do with the case,” said a lawyer representing the woman.
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