Bhubaneswar, April 19: In a shocking incident, a woman in Odisha was allegedly raped by her maternal uncle as a minor and forced to live with him for over a decade and a half.

The incident came to light when the woman Rina (now 30 years) managed to get in touch with a human rights protection organisation through social media and got help to get out of her years of ordeal, as she explained in her press interaction on Monday in Bhubaneswar.

Rina, a resident of Chanahata village in Balipatna block of Khurda in Odhisha, was allegedly repeatedly raped by her maternal uncle Radheshyam Patnaik who impregnated her when she was only 12 years old. She claims her parents took money from her uncle and got her abortion done. Instead of registering a formal complaint with the police, they tried persuading their daughter to live with Radheshyam, fearing social ostracisation.

When Rina protested, she was sent to her aunt’s house in Cuttack for a year and then she was forced back to her uncle’s place.

“Due to societal convention, my parents asked me to accept my uncle as my husband. Since I was a minor and it was unlawful to get me married, they asked to shift to his place in Puri without getting married. I was forced to live with the accused and his mother (Rina’s maternal grandmother),” Rina said. She was still a minor at that time.

Once she moved to her uncle’s place, the family started treating Radheshyam as their son-in-law. Rina, now, has three daughters with her accused, who were born in 2007, 2010 and 2013.

“I was helpless and didn’t know who to reach out since my own family had turned against me. The difficult times didn’t stop though. After the birth of my three daughters, my uncle was furious that I couldn’t give birth to a boy.I never thought of registering a complaint because I had no support whatsoever and also I never legally married my uncle. I was just staying with him. Honestly, I was made to accept it as my fate.”

But over the years, the torture got worse --she was physically assaulted and verbally abused. Unable to bear more harassment, she left her house in October 2020. Her family filed a missing complaint due to which she had to appear at the police station in Balipatna. She signed a declaration at the Mahila police station stating she didn’t want to keep in touch with her family.

“They still coaxed me to stay for one night and leave the other day. I agreed but was locked inside my house. Somehow, I managed to alert my friend and asked her to help me. She then got me in touch with the NGO. I sent an SOS fearing a threat to my life,” reveals Rina.

Dr Ipsita Lavantika, who works for the human rights protection organistion, came to her rescue.

“When I came to know about the incident, I immediately alerted the police and rushed to the spot. Initially, I thought Radheshyam was her husband and it looked like a case of domestic violence. The accused was not letting me meet Rina but somehow I managed to enter and she narrated her ordeal. Her only request was to move out of the house. I took her to the police station and after completing the formalities, I got her admitted to a government-aided home for destitute,” said Dr Lavantika.

Though the police had been involved, Rina refused to take legal action, fearing a negative reaction towards her daughters. She insisted on living separately and even took up a private job in Bhubaneswar.“She was very clear about her demand—she wanted to move on and stay separately. She didn’t want to get into any legal mess because of her daughters,” said Dr Lavantika. 

Even after she moved out, Rina’s mother continued to pester her to return. She even filed a case at the Mahila Commission demanding her daughter return to her house.

On April 16, when Rina was appearing for the final hearing at the Women’s Commission, Radheshyam allegedly tried to force her to get inside a car so he could drive her away. Rina’s friend was also assaulted when she tried to save her. However, people gathered and they were saved.

The Commission ruled in favour of Rina, stating that she was well above the legal age and hence, free to decide where she wanted to live. 

A day later, a complaint was filed against Radhesyam alleging assault and domestic violence. Rina is now waiting for an official copy of the ruling of Mahila Commission to file an FIR against the accused. But whether she will file a complaint for rape and child sexual abuse remains to be seen.

 

(The name of the victim has been changed to Rina in this article though she herself doesn’t want to conceal her identity)