When we come across rape and molestation cases in newspapers, it so often gets ignored or overlooked because we take it as daily occurrence in our society.

Rarely do we spare few moments to think about the trauma or the despair the victim is going through.

Sometimes people involved in these acts of crime are the ones who are supposed to protect us and not destroy us. I am talking about the Indian Army who have committed such spineless deeds that can leave you disgusted.

Indian army troopers have been raping women and kids in Kashmir for a long time, they have used rape and molestation as a weapon to humiliate the locals during their cordon and search operations. Imagine a woman goes to the police station or military camps to inquire about her loved ones and she runs the risk of getting raped.

This ruthless crime has been happening for over a decade by the Indian Army, and most of these cases go unreported, or even if they are reported, the government puts it under the carpet.

On 26 Jun 2007 Major Joginder Singh and Naik Dalgit Singh of 57 Rashtriya Rifles tried to rape a 17-year old girl in Pati Kunan village in Bandipora District pretending to be ‘militants’.

On 5 July 2007, an Indian Army soldier, Sepoy Ranjeet Singh, 24 Rashtriya Rifles tried to rape a 23-year old girl student in Kangan village of Ganderbal District.

When the locals tried to rescue the girl, he at first opened fire at his pursuers, killing one and injuring two, before turning the gun on himself.

Kunaan Poshpara in Kupwara, near the border, is known throughout Kashmir as the ‘raped village’ after the heinous incident where 30 women were raped in 1991 by soldiers. No marriages have taken place there since then, due to the social stigma even the victims are reluctant to come forward and talk about it. To make things worse, their families also desert them.

The accused have gone scot-free. There are reports that till date only two or three rape cases have been concluded so far. In the remaining cases, the investigations are still in process or terminated. Figures were hard to get because no one is bothered to document the number of cases, but according to one portal nearly 500 women were raped in various parts of Jammu and Kashmir between 1990-94.

According to Kashmir Media Service, 9,849 women have been gang-raped and molested from January 1989 to December 2008.

Its not only Kashmir where women are silent sufferers due to the Indian army’s atrocities, but in North-east too women are raped and molested in the name of curbing terrorism. A striking example is of Thangiam Manorama, who was raped and murdered in Manipur by the soldiers of the paramilitary Assam Rifles in 2004.

That led to huge uproar in Manipur with elderly women stripped naked in protest and waved banners that said, ‘Indian Army take our flesh’, ‘Indian Army Rape us’. Sadly, nothing has been done to punish these soldiers.

Its such a shame that people responsible for committing this crime are not only tarnishing the image of the country but also committing such spineless acts in the name of protecting the country.

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The republic of apathy

How India lost the Kashmiris?

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Tags: India, Kashmir, Rape