In a shocking incident, a rape victim Rupa Khatun (name changed), aged 25, tried to commit suicide by consuming "some powder" in a courtroom when Principal District & Sessions Judge Visnukant Sahay was hearing her case lodged on March 9, 2012 at Hariharganj police station.
According to the Registrar of the civil court, Palamau Debasis Mahapatra, the incident occurred at 1.20 this afternoon when the victim was in the court room along with her lawyer N K Singh. "The argument was on and when it concluded the victim wanted to say something to the court," said the registrar. He said that the PDJ gave her an advice that whatever she wanted to say she could say through her lawyer N K Singh.
It was a simple legal advice coming from the court to the victim that could have served the rape victim more legally but the victim failed to understand its sense, meaning, merit and value and in an act most abrupt took out the powder kept in a 'dibba' and hidden in her clothes and consumed it before anyone in the court could have restrained her or stopped her from doing this.
The PDJ immediately sent her to the Sadar Hospital by his own official car alongwith a body guard. The registrar also got in touch with the civil surgeon Y Mahto to do all to save her life. Dr Anand Kumar of Sadar Hospital said that the condition of the victim continues to be critical and she was under continuous medical watch.
The doctor said the patient is under shck and trauma. Also there is no relative of her standing by her bed side. It was not immediately known as to what she consumed. But it was powder and not a tablet at all, said the registrar of the civil courts.
The Registrar termed the act of the victim a pre-meditated one and a pre planned one as she had carried powder to the courtroom. Significantly, the case proceedings have been going quite smoothly and the victim had never shown any sign of mental distress. She used to reach court regularly and was never so impatient as today.
The registrar said she could have saved herself from this agony and risk to life had she understood the advice of the PDJ in right earnest. According to sources, she had lodged the case against one Shamshad Alam who had allegedly raped her on the pretext of marrying her. She belonged to Natwatoli in Satgawan village under Hariharganj police station.
The self destruction bid has further exposed the victim to a fresh case as under Indian Penal Code (IPC) there is a provision of punishment to person who wants to take away his/her life .