VILLUPURAM: Documenting the struggle of an Irular tribal woman, who was allegedly gang-raped by six policemen from Puducherry in 1993, Villupuram-based journalist and writer Jothi Narasiman released his new book, Athiyur Vijaya, on Saturday. The family of the woman – C Vijaya from Athiyur village in Gingee, Villupuram MP Ravikumar, activist Kalyani, tribal rights activists, and thousands of tribal people across the district attended the event.
“I wanted to document the incident in the simplest form, a book, so that it reaches the next generation. The system has always ripped a commoner of their right to dignified life and Vijaya is one of the victims. The High Court verdict might have failed the poor tribal woman but the book would keep her story alive. Such crimes still prevail and it is more important now than ever that we as a community stand up against police brutality,” said Narasiman.
The 152-page book begins with Vijaya’s visit to her aunt at Sitharasur in July 1993, when she was 17. The Anandhapuram police allegedly took her to identify a nearby farm, where they suspected Vellaiyan, an accused, was hiding and the six policemen from the Puducherry Police Department gang-raped and abandoned her.
The next day, when her father, P Masi, tried to file a complaint at Ananthapuram Police Station, they refused to take the case as Masi was already arrested in another case. Vijaya was supported by social activists P V Ramesh, a nun Lucina, P Elangovan, and Kalyani who provided her shelter and legal guidance to proceed with the case.
Soon, many more tribal women came forward to report such horrific incidents that led the activists to eventually set up the Scheduled Tribal Irular Rights Protection Movement in Tindivanam in 1996. The book explained the struggle of Vijaya that extended to 13 years and what was considered a historic moment in the Indian judiciary when the six policemen were awarded life imprisonment and dismissed from service on August 11, 2006, by the Villupuram District Court.
However, the policemen soon appealed to the Madras High Court and within three months, were granted bail. In 2008, all six were acquitted. Vijaya grew insecure because of the high court verdict and fell sick beyond recovery, breathing her last on July 11, 2014, at the age of 34. The book ended with the beginning of yet another story of four Thirukovilur-based Irular tribal women, who were allegedly raped by policemen in the district, highlighting that atrocities against tribal women continue.
The book costs Rs 150 and will be available at Tamil Ezhilan Publications, Villupuram.