Patna,(BiharTimes): A few days before International Women’s Day, Bipin Rai, was found guilty by a court in Purnea of sexually exploiting Rupam Pathak, the school principal, who stabbed to death the local BJP MLA Raj Kishore Kesari.

She took the extreme step on Jan 4, 2011 after she was repeatedly pressurized by the late BJP MLA to take her case back. After killing the MLA, Rupam, who is now undergoing life term, said that she did so because the BJP MLA and his aide, Bipin Rai, had not only been sexually exploiting her, but had an evil eyes on her teenaged daughter. 

While Rupam is in Bhagalpur jail, the court in Purnea has convicted Bipin. It would announce the quantum of punishment later this week.

It needs to be recalled that the then deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi strongly refuted the charge of Rupam. But the court ruling against Bipin had proved that there was element of truth in her charges. It is other thing that she took law into her hand and took revenge by killing Kesari.

Five years later, an MLA from another ally of JD(U) has been charged with rape by a teenaged girl. Though Raj Ballabh Prasad Yadav, the MLA from Nawada, has been suspended by his party, the RJD, and his houses and property confiscated he is still at large. The FIR was lodged against him on February 9, three days after he committed the crime on February 6.

As in the case of Rupam so now the opposition parties, the media and different women’s organizations were a bit slow in taking up the cause of the victim. Frustrated Rupam took up knife while the teenaged victim in the recent case, a matriculation examinee, is living in fear. 

If Rupam was almost lynched by BJP supporters in Purnea after she stabbed Kesari, the story is slightly different this time. But it raises a big question as to why has the police failed to nab Raj Ballab Prasad Yadav though it was the Central Range DIG, Shalin, who took initiative in this case. 

The problem is that now neither women social activists and lawyers nor rival political parties take the case of rape very seriously. They jump into the matter only when there is a gang-rape, incest, or gang-rape cum murder. Women groups and media took up the cause of Nirbhaya as she was gangraped and brutally assaulted which led to her tragic death. And this had happened in the heart of Delhi.

In case of Rupam and the teenaged girl of Nalanda the case was of simple rape. Initially women activists and political rivals suspect the role of victims too. 

Many times woman or girl victim of rape are turned away by woman police officials on the plea that it is a consensual sex and not the case of rape. And if the perpetrators are high and mightly like the two Rajs––Kesari and Ballabh––the response is lukewarm.

In the latest case too the role of lady doctor and woman judge came under fire.

Also read:

Two years of Rupam Pathak case, rape accused yet unpunished