Crime & Punishment

Of Rape and Power Game
Koumi Dutta
Shounak Mukhopadhyay

Rape has been an integral part of political power play from time immemorial. It has been used as a form of sexual intimidation and torture of any power struggle. In any battle be it between classes, countries or genders the ultimate aim is to assault the most vulnerable part of that social entity. Sexuality has fortunately or unfortunately been granted the honour of being the cultural, sociological and psychological paradigm where both men and women are most vulnerable and exposed. So, it is relatively easy for the 'enemy' to exploit the particular weakness to assert their dominance.

Although instances of sexual exploitation are common place in history, the most prominently documented human tragedy has been observed in the concentration camps set up by the Nazis during the Second World War .The most notorious of these concentration camps spread all across Europe were those located at Auschwitz-Birkenau, Bergen-Belsen, Dachau and Ravensbrueck, to name but a few, which used various methods of sexual intimidation and violence as a part of their regular(though unofficial) agenda. The detainees would be plunged into an extremely humiliating and painful process of 'hair shearing' which included being laid stark naked on a wooden table and being examined by a female guard and forced shaving of hair (including pubic hair) with a communally used razor blade. Some of the camps had organized brothels set up for the members of the S S. This literally forced hundreds of prisoners to work in the brothels which can only be called 'organized rape'. The women were compelled to cater to the individual needs of the presiding officers of the camp which entailed of regular sessions of sexual humiliation and violence. These ordeals involving intense mental and physical pain and exhaustion contributed to the ultimate breakdown of their spirit preparing them for nothing but slow death to contemplate.

Allegations of custodial torture have also been brought against the American military and intelligence personnel at the 'Abu Ghraib detention facility' situated in Baghdad, Iraq. Sexual assault on prisoners with truncheons, wires and phosphorescent tubes were done. Sodomisation of detainees with a baton, tying of ropes to legs and penises and dragging them across the floor were in vogue. The expose conducted by the media was given a basis in fact through explicit photographs and video footages. The aftermath of this media coverage led to widespread protest which, ironically, focused more upon the leaking of classified information and not the heinous nature of the incidents.

Another example of American involvement in such activities can be taken in the form of the Guantanamo-Bay Detention Facility from 2002.

It was used to imprison detainees from Afghanistan and later Iraq without trial. Use of articles like barbed wire, broken glass and burning cigarettes to abuse sexual organs were made. They were forced to assume 'stressed' position to create sexual discomfort. This inhuman torture resulted in 23 suicides by the end of august 2003. An escalation in the number of suicide attempts caused the Federation of American Scientists publish a report entitled 'Enemy Combatant Detainees: Habeas Corpus' which dealt with the issue of the transfer of the inmates to prison facilities on the American mainland in February 2010. The report was a follow up to the US president Obama's efforts to bring about the closure of Guantanamo which, eventually, came to no avail. The 5th amendment of the American constitution ensured the fact that inmates upon release would not be able to seek legal assistance against the maltreatment in a court of law. As of September 2012, 167 detainees remain in Gauntanamo Bay with no sign of any decisive measure.

Instances such as these recur with disturbing frequencies closer home. During 1969-1977, in West Bengal, better known as the 'Naxal period', brutal cases of sexual exploitation were reported. Jaya Mitra’s 'Hanyaman' speaks of such episodes in Behrampur Jail, Mednipur jail and Presidency Jail. The historic Archana Guha case is still fresh in memory of all people concerned about civil and democatic rights.

The security forces which are supposed to protect people have constantly wreaked havoc on the people. The highly debated and controversial 'Armed Forces Special Power Act' (AFSPA) effectively allows the security outfits the liberty of arresting and detaining civilians living in the area without providing any reason. The first well known evidence of such sexual torture was a gang rape, according to the official figures of 53 women in the village of Kunanpushpara in Kashmir by the 4th Rajputana rifles. Further example of such incidents can be cited in the rape of a Christian girl in the village of Sonapa by the soldiers of Rashtriya rifles. A very common practice after such incidents is covering up of crime by burying the raped bodies and accounting the individuals as having 'disappeared'.

The north-eastern state of Manipur has been a victim of such brutalities for long. In the year 2004 Thanzang Monoroma, a tribal lady was arrested and then raped by 2 soldiers of 17 Assam rifles on the pretext of interrogating her regarding the alleged terrorist activities in the area. Her lifeless body was later found in the adjacent forest riddled with 36 bullets. This case triggered a lot of protests and garnered a lot of attention to the cause of hundreds of 'Thanzang Monoromas '.One of the highlights of these protests was a 'Nude march' organized by 12 women activists of Manipur demanding the immediate withdrawal of AFSPA. Irom Sharmila Chanu is in her 12th year of fasting demanding the same.

Irom's protest has not borne much fruit; innumerable atrocities keep being added to the list. Soni Sori, a tribal school teacher hailing from Dantewada district in Chattisgarh was arrested on 4th October 2011 for protesting against the land acquisition drive by the 'ESSAR' company and on the charge of treason against the state. She was molested in custody and stones were inserted in her vagina and rectum during the course of interrogation by the Chattisgarh police. She was not provided with proper medical attention following this brutal ordeal. Her medical reports were forged in order to prevent the truth from coming out. The irony of the matter is S P Ankit Garg, the prime accused of the case was honoured with gallantry award for 'services rendered in the fight against terrorism'. Soni has not received bail yet and is surviving in the jail with inadequate medical facilities.

The most horrifying aspect of such incidents is the fact that while stray incidents tend to get highlighted, sexual atrocities meted out by the state have a tendency to languish in the doldrums of bureaucratic red tape. The collective indifference people show in most cases is appalling and horrifying which in turn enables these atrocities to continue. "In Germany they came first for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn’t a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up". What was true for Germans in those black days is equally true for Indians today.

Frontier
Vol. 45, No. 32, February 17-23, 2013

Your Comment if any