On Thursday, a young photojournalist was gang-raped in Lower Parel, Mumbai. The unnamed victim had been traveling with a male colleague when the attack took place.
The pair had gone to a mill compound in Worli at around 5:30 p.m. for an assignment. “Around 6.15 p.m., when we were on our way back, we met two men. Claiming to be railway officials, they asked us to come and meet a senior official," an officer said, quoting the victim.
"We went and met a third man, a slightly plump person. He, too, said we should not have come to the compound as we did not have permission and called up two others for 'further inquiry'. Soon, five men had gathered. I called up my boss but there was no answer.”
The young woman and her male companion were separated. Threatening her with a broken beer bottle, two of the men raped the woman while three other assailants tied and beat the companion, reports Hindustan Times.
“Eventually, all five raped the woman,” the officer said.
The National Post notes that the victim is now in the hospital. She is in stable condition.
Apoorva Dutt of Mumbai tells The Times of India “I moved to Mumbai from Delhi partly because it is safer. The rape has shaken my confidence, but I still think I feel safer here. We shouldn't take anything for granted, obviously. I just read some data about how the conviction rate in Mumbai for rapes is still approximately 5%. So we are no better here than anywhere else in India.”