T Niagn Mary was beaten ruthlessly after she resisted efforts by her landlord to assault her. The bank executive from Manipur vows to continue her fight for justice
T Niagn Mary was beaten ruthlessly after she resisted efforts by her landlord to assault her. The bank executive from Manipur vows to continue her fight for justice
From the green pastures of Manipur to the concrete and motorised reality of Delhi. But for T Niagn Mary, it was not just a change of scenery but the attitude of people which was more noticeable, rather shocking.
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Victimised: T Niagn Mary, who was beaten by her landlord in Gurgaon last year
pic Rajeev Tyagi |
The 25-year-old has lost most of her confidence in the benevolence of the city and no longer feels safe on its roads. The night of December 12, 2008 changed it all.
Mary and one of her friends took a room on rent at Sikanderpur, Gurgaon. It was their first night at their new house when around midnight a rude knock on the door broke their slumber.
One of the voices on the other side claimed he was the landlord.
"I refused to let the three men in but they forcibly entered the room and tried to get physical with us. When we resisted, they started hitting us, first with hands and then with a rod and anything they could find in the room. We cried but nobody came to our rescue," Mary recalled.
"My friend's jaw was broken and I got several injuries. But, that was not it. The trio, including our landlord, then dragged us to a nearby room and continued beating us mercilessly," she said.
She said it was very disheartening to see that even some women, who had gathered after hearing their cries, called them prostitutes and laughed at them.
The two girls were admitted to the Sri Ram Hospital at Gurgaon with serious injuries and later lodged a police complaint. A year later, the accused are out on bail while the case is still pending in a Gurgaon court.
Mary, who works for a private bank, said more than the physical injuries the emotional scars hurt her. "The attitude of the people towards those from the Northeast, especially girls, is sickening."
"People in this city take every girl from Northeast as immoral and somebody who they can easily get physical with. Since we are fair-skinned we are soft targets for them," she said.
Mary was allegedly offered money to retract her statement in the court by one of the accused, Kisan Yadav, but the girl has vowed to fight on.u00a0 "Money cannot buy me dignity. I will not change my statement and will fight my case all the way," said Mary.
