A Town Deserted

Prominent among the accused were two members of the Jalgaon Municipal Council, a doctor, a lawyer, an employee of a radio broadcasting station and a lodge owner.

Though there were convictions in only five cases, all accused were let off by the High Court in 2000 for lack of evidence. But for the victims and those fighting for them, the case is far from over.

According to Neelam Gorhe, founder president of Stree Adhar Kendra8212;a Pune based NGO, the case helped spread awareness about womens8217; rights in the state. 8216;8216;In this case, the accused were all powerful. Perhaps, this was why only three of the victims testified against the accused in the court. To avoid such incidents in future, the women8217;s organisations have been demanding creation of an independent apex body like a commission of women8217;s rights.8217;8217;

EXPLOITATION of girls in Jalgaon had carried on unchecked for over three years. The men would scout college campuses, beauty parlours, ice cream parlours, hospitals and bus terminals, for girls. A few victims claimed they were tranquilised before being sexually assaulted and photographed. They would later be blackmailed.

In 1993, however, a few girls finally lodged a police complaint. Then district superintendent of police Deepak Jog started investigation and soon complaints began pouring in.

Women8217;s organisations staged demonstrations in various parts of the state, demanding a detailed inquiry into the cases. With rumours of the involvement of Jalgaon Municipal Council JMC members Pandit Sapkale and Raju Tadvi, the issue was hotly debated in the state assembly too.

Following the uproar, a special investigation team was stationed at Jalgaon. Headed by Arvind Inamdar, Meera Borwankar and Deepak Jog, it got cracking at the case. Subsequently, a chargesheet was filed and a special court of Sessions Judge Mudula Bhatkar was set up in Pune to conduct the trial. Recording of evidence began in 1995.

Says Borwankar, who is currently joint commissioner crime in Mumbai: 8216;8216;The main problem was that the offences were reported late. By the time FIRs were registered, a year had gone by. So, the medical evidence was absent. Even at the time of filing the chargesheet, we knew the cases were weak ones but still we took a conscientious decision to make it to the courts.8217;8217;

INITIALLY it seemed the prosecution had a watertight case. Investigators had recorded statements of witnesses, had recovered the 8216;8216;objectionable8217;8217; photographs of victims taken allegedly by the accused. But then a now familiar pattern set in. Several witnesses turned hostile.

In 1997, the special court gave sentences in five of the 20 cases. However, in 2000, all accused were acquitted by the Bombay High Court for lack of evidence.

THE public scrutiny over, the victims have returned to their own private hell. Most of them have left the town with their families. 8216;8216;My family and I lived through hell during the period. I was just a teenager then. My mother was undergoing treatment in a hospital in Jalgaon. She watched helplessly as the rapists kidnapped me from the hospital. I was blackmailed and raped repeatedly. My family also received threats after I lodged the police complaint. Fearing for lives, we had to flee Jalgaon,8217;8217; says one of the girls who now works with an NGO.

8216;8216;Rape victims must get justice through the law. Otherwise the frustration would force them to take law in their own hands,8217;8217; she says.