With help from son, woman sends rapists to jail 30 yrs after crime

BAREILLY: A woman who had been raped by two men 30 years ago when she was just a girl of 12 finally saw her tormentors go to prison — with help of her son whom she had abandoned as a baby and who tracked her down after years of search to be with her and encourage her to go to police. A court in Shahjahanpur on Wednesday sentenced the perpetrators to 10 years in jail and slapped a fine of Rs 30,000 each on them.
Talking to TOI, the survivor expressed hope that the “long, dark chapter” in her life was now behind her.“Until today, I was overwhelmed by the fear that the very mention of ‘Shahjahanpur’ evoked in me, triggering great anxiety and panic attacks. It was my son who gave me strength to fight my rapists. I have no fear now.”
Apart from the trauma of being raped by the two men, who are siblings, at such a tender age, the woman also went through the ordeal of having to give birth to a son born out of the assault. Fearing censure from relatives and neighbours, her parents had then forced her to give the baby away for adoption, after which she had no news of him.