DHARMAPURI: It is judgment day for residents of Vachathi, a quaint tribal hamlet in Dharmapuri, who are victims of one of the brutal excess of uniformed forces against the powerless masses. Thirty-one years ago, in June 1992, 18 women of Vachathi were subjected to repeated sexual assault and over 100 men were beaten up by forest, police and revenue officials, who entered the village to search for smuggled sandalwood.
After a legal battle that went on for 19 years, the Dharmapuri Principal and Sessions court, in September 2011, pronounced all the 269 accused persons, including four former IFS officers, guilty and sentenced them to different terms of imprisonment. But they challenged the verdict before the Madras High Court. Nearly 12 years later, the Madras High Court will deliver judgment on Friday. Fifty four of the accused died in the intervening period.
The heinous incident was brought to light several weeks after it took place by CPI(M) cadre. After several pleas in the Madras High Court and Supreme Court, CBI probe was ordered and charge sheet was filed against 269 officials in 1996.
Misery in memory
Recalling the incidents of that fateful day, S Govindhan, who was around 30 years old then , said, “After the incident, there was no village. I vividly remember when we came back to the village many weeks later, everything was a mess. Our cattle and goats were dead, our properties were either stolen or damaged, our houses were ravaged, and wells were poisoned. Many people lost their school certificates and other government documents. We had to start from scratch. Had CPI(M) cadres not intervened, our village would not have existed. This judgment is important for us”.
A 38-year-old woman, who was eight at the time of the incident, said, “I shudder even now when I think about the incidents. There was a lot of fear then and in the years that followed. I remember being hungry for many days. There was no work as everything was damaged and we did not have money to buy anything. People from our neighbouring villages supported us by providing food and clothes for many weeks. Everything that happened here was true, every statement we have made is true. Tomorrow (Friday) the Madras High Court will also say the same.”
Another victim, L Gunasekaran (50) said, “I was 18 at that time. Weeks after the abuse of women, if authorities found out that someone was from Vachathi village, they booked cases and arrested them. It took years to quash the case against us. We were wrongfully accused and deemed criminals. The judgment in our favour would be a huge consolation.”
Tamil Nadu Tribals Association state vice president, P Shanmugam, who lodged the complaint on behalf of the victims, said, “We are confident the Madras High Court would uphold justice. Everything about the incident has been investigated by the CBI and relevant reports have been produced before the court. We are confident the verdict would favour the victims.”
On the other hand, the accused appear to be resigned to their fate. When TNIE reached out to a police officer who was convicted, he said, “There is nothing to say, we hope the high court will acquit us. Everything about this case has been spoken and debated.” A retired forest staff said, “Both the personal life and career of the officers and staff were impacted. I do not have anything else to say. We will see what the high court decides.”
The case at a glance
June 20, 1992: Forest, police, and revenue officials enter Vachathi; 18 women raped, over 100 men assaulted, houses, properties, and cattle destroyed
September 29, 2011: Dharmapuri Principal District and Sessions Court finds all 269 accused including 126 forest officials, 84 police personnel and five revenue officials guilty
Only 215 of the 269 accused alive at the time of judgment and 54 accused persons died before the judgment
17 found guilty of rape sentenced to seven years of RI. 12 of them were also sentenced to 10 years RI for offenses under the SC/ST Act. Five were sentenced to seven years imprisonment and others were imprisoned between 2 to 10 years
Earlier this year Justice P Velmuruganvisited Vachathi village and held inquiries