Manipal Jun 20: Exactly a year ago, a brutal crime that took place in the educational hub of Manipal sent shock waves across India and abroad. On June 20, 2013 around 11.30 pm, a fourth year MBBS student was dragged inside an auto-rickshaw by three men including the auto driver and gang-raped after being taken to an isolated place, when she was walking towards her flat from the university library amidst rain.
However, Udupi SP Borlaingaiah M B belies that the case is almost on the verge of completion, as the trial would be begin for final argument shortly.
According to Public Prosecutor T S Jithoori, the prosecution judge has completed the cross examination of all the witnesses. The prosecution found it unnecessary to examine the witnesses which were left out, as it would have been a repetition.
However, the case is not stayed. Trial will begin after the verdict. In case if there is no stay, the District and Sessions Court will proceed for trial. He added that had the accused not approached the High Court, the trial would have been concluded by now.
Following the incident police has beefed up the security in and around Manipal University. Barricades are put across and CCTV cameras are put across the University campus. Extra security personnel are put on duty. Every vehicle passing through the campus is checked from 10 pm to 6 am.
But one year later students and common people in Manipal are asking, has anything changed? For girl students in Manipal, the fear in the minds still exist. “Of course there is better security arrangements now compared to last year. But, we are still afraid of thugs and criminals in our surroundings. We cannot predict anything,” says a medical student in Manipal.
However, many believe that widespread media coverage of the case has also led to an increased awareness of the issue of violence against women in coastal Karnataka. "Women have been forthcoming in reporting crimes against them. They have been empowered by law and the response of civil society," says a law student in Mangalore.
But, this awareness is confined to the educated women. What about the women in remote villages in the region who are subjected to horrific crimes on a daily basis but whose cases never make headlines because they 're deemed not as important? Their chance at justice still appears to be remote.
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