A few days after a Spanish travel vlogger revealed that, while on a bike tour across India with her husband, she was allegedly gang-raped in Dumka, Jharkhand, a number of other travelers discussed their own experiences as women traveling alone in India.
The incident allegedly occurred when the Spanish woman and her husband were taking a break inside a tent in a desolate area of Kurmahat village while they were touring India on bicycles. Seven men are accused of raping the woman on Friday night.
Four people were arrested as soon as the incident was investigated, and the remaining accused are currently being sought after. The couple has also received a compensation of Rs 10 lakh from the Jharkhand Police.
“We did a fast investigation and from the side of district administration, we are providing all the help to them (rape survivor and husband). We have provided them with Rs 10 lakh under the victim compensation scheme. We will try for a speedy trial and conviction of the accused,” Anjaneyulu Dodde, Deputy Commissioner, told ANI on Monday.
Daily updates on the case and the couple’s experience were shared on social media, where they claimed to have encountered “absurd comments” accusing them of bringing this situation upon themselves by traveling to India.
Defending India, in a post in Spanish, the couple said, “(India) is a great country and worth visiting. It has advantages and disadvantages. And thanks to everyone, including the police.
“The point is that a rape or a robbery can happen to you, to your brother, to your mother, to your daughter, to anyone. In any nation on earth, nobody is free from it. It has frequently occurred in Spain. It has occurred everywhere in the world. Every country in Spain, Brazil, and America has violations. Thus, please refrain from stating absurdities such as “We are in India,” they said.
“…We ask that justice be done, not only for us but also for all the other women and girls who have gone through this…We are two strong people, and this will not break us. Not at all…Because of these, we won’t give up on living and staying at home to hide from fear.
The husband of the rape survivor also thanked the police for the very “fast investigation”.
The Spanish woman was gang-raped, according to the police, while traveling from West Bengal to Nepal within the borders of the Hansdiha police station.
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