Before leaving, they threatened me with dire consequences and death if I complained to police or shared anything with anyone else. After they left, Ganganna came and I could realize that he untied my blindfold, mouth gag and my hands with his mouth. He asked me what had happened but I did not tell him anything. He went out to call my parents. My parents were sleeping in the small temporary hut near our agriculture fields. (During the harvesting seasons, tribals build temporary huts near their agriculture fields in order to protect their crops from being eaten by wild animals). For three days I could not step out of my home as I was in a lot of pain. (However, on being asked, she confirmed she had no internal bleeding).

As narrated by Ganganna Sirika (12 years):

Four security personnel entered my uncle’s home by breaking open the door with kicks. They caught me by the neck and tied my hands and gagged my mouth with a cloth and blindfolded me. Then they began to beat me with a thick stick on my back. They held me very tightly and I could realize they were taking turns to hold me. After about an hour, they left and when everything was quite, I managed to loosen my mouth gag and slip it enough to be able to open my mouth. I went to the other room and found my sister. I untied her hands, her mouth gag and blindfold. I asked her what happened but she did not tell me anything.  I went out to their fields and called her parents.

Narrated by girl’s maternal uncle Kiya Sirika:

Out of fear she did not tell anything to anybody, not even her parents, of what happened to her. But since villagers knew the police had entered their village on the night of 19th April 2011 and we saw that she was not able to get up from her cot or walk we realized she might have been raped because such incidents have been happening in many villages near Taladekapadu. We asked her and even her parents and tried to find out what happened with her but she did not say anything. Meanwhile Ganganna narrated whatever had happened to him and we were almost confirm that the minor tribal girl might have been raped by all four security personnel. I asked many senior men in our village about what should be done and they suggested we meet some lawyer in Koraput and file a case against the security personnel.

I tried to convince the minor tribal girl’s parents to file a case and take the matter to the police but they were too afraid of police and the expenses involved in fighting a case. But we had a meeting in our village and decided to go to a lawyer first before going to the police. We have realized that if we do not raise our voice then we will face even more violence and repression (daman was the word he used). This is the third time our village is witnessing brutal assault by the security personnel. On 11th February, at about 1 am in the night they had attacked my temporary hut in my field and stole 15 of my chickens and Rs.2500.00. They also attacked Benu Sirika’s hut and stole 10 of his chickens and Rs.5000.00. They also beat our wives when they tried to stop the security personnel from beating me. They took us to Narayanpatna Police Station and kept us there till morning. At 10 am they let me go but took Benu to Koraput. He is now in Koraput jail. Before that, in February 2011, they had entered our village, beaten members of one family and stolen their gold ornaments. But this is the first time such an incident has happened.    

From the three attacks on our village and from attacks that have taken place in other villages like Dumsil, Basnaput, Palaput, Podapadr, etc we have realized that the Shanti Committee members are helping the police in identifying homes of supporters of Chasi Mulia Adivasi Sangha (CMAS) and giving information to the police about many of us and also identifying us in person. Some tribal people from our village and from nearby villages have become members of the Shanti Committee. It is very sad and makes us angry to think that our own people are spying on us and betraying us by putting in such unexpected troubles. 

Similar incidents were happening in our nearby villages like Dumsil, Basnaput, Palaput, Podapadar, etc but they kept raising their voice against these attacks by the security forces. Gradually now the forces have stopped attacking these villages. We realize that we must also raise our voice against this violence. 

Action taken to get justice:

On insistence of villagers and some social activists, the minor tribal girl filed a complaint through registered post with AD to Koraput Superintendent of Police as she was afraid to go to Narayanpatna Police Station fearing threat to her life and that of Ganganna and parents. Ganganna has also filed a complaint before Koraput Superintendent of Police by registered post with AD. Copies have been marked to Chairperson of NCPCR, New Delhi, Orissa Human Rights Commission and Orissa State Women’s Commission along with the DIG, South-Western Region and Home Secretary, Government of Orissa.

Further Plan: