Two Dalit women, working as "bonded labourers" in Haryana's Bhiwani district, were raped allegedly by their employer and his brothers for demanding their wages, activists alleged here today.
They also alleged that the 33-year-old woman and her sister-in-law (22), the rape victims, were also made to parade naked in their workplace.
They were gang-raped by three persons -- the employer and two brothers, Executive Director of Bandhua Mukhti Morcha Nirmal Gorana told reporters here where both the victims were present.
The victims arrived in the capital on Thursday and came to the NGO, whose Chairperson is Swami Agnivesh, for help.
"My employer used to beat me with sticks and torture me regularly when I used to ask for the wages. He and two of his brothers even forced me to parade naked on the streets.
"They fractured my fingers and bruised my body. And this has been happening for the last six months," one of the victims claimed.
The victim added that last Saturday when she went to the police post to request for their release as bonded-labourers, the policemen there turned a deaf ear.
"I went to the chowki but the policeman there said that you don't deserve anything. Something will happen to you in the evening...," she said, adding that very same evening she was gang-raped.
"Those hooligans dragged me and my sister-in-law to the jungles and raped me for two days. Last Sunday, Umesh raped my sister-in-law," said the victim.
"One week has passed but the accused are roaming free. We do not want to go back. We only want our release certificate so that we can rehabilitate ourselves in our native Bundelkhand," said the victim.
Agnivesh said that they have lodged a complaint with the Connaught Place police station and have faxed the copy of the FIR to the Bhiwani police station.
"This kind of inhuman torture were meted out to the women because they are Dalits. They did not get their wages for the last six months. This is violation of SC/ST Act and Bonded Labour Act," said Gorana.
Gorana said tomorrow they will take the victims to Bhiwani and record their statement before the magistrate.
