An 18-year-old Dalit woman from the southern Indian state of Kerala has accused 64 men of sexually abusing her since she was 13 years old. So far, police have arrested 28 people in connection with the case. The men are in custody and have not made any public statements.
According to the police, who spoke with the BBC, the suspects are between 17 and 47 years old and include neighbors, sports coaches, and the woman’s father’s friends. The alleged abuse was reported after a government scheme counselors’ team visited her house.
Around 18 cases have been registered against people under the crime laws in India along with the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, legislation to check atrocities against members belonging to the downtrodden caste and tribe sections in India.
Dalits constitute the last rank in the hierarchical structure of Hindus and face systemic discrimination despite existing laws protecting the community in India.
Cases have also been registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act since the abuse took place when the woman was a minor, senior police official Nandakumar S told BBC Hindi.
More cases will likely be registered in the next few days as the police are still investigating the matter. A 25-member team has been set up.
Police say that the alleged abuse began when the girl was 13 years old. Her neighbor allegedly molested her and took sexually explicit photographs of her, the News Minute website reported.
Her neighbor allegedly sexually abused her again when she was 16 years old, recorded videos of the abuse, and shared it with several others who continued to assault the woman over many years.
A lawyer who heads the district’s Child Welfare Committee (CWC) told the Indian Express newspaper that the woman was an athlete and attended various sports camps, which could have facilitated further abuse.
Police say that the woman was allegedly gang-raped three times in the past five years.
Her alleged abusers reportedly used her father’s phone number to contact her, and the woman stored their contacts in the phone. The police are now using the phone to trace the accused. The woman’s family was reportedly unaware of the alleged abuse.
