“We want the world to know her real name.” Brave words from a brave man. And in saying them Badri Singh Pandey lit a beacon for women the world over. – Mirror UK
Her name was Jyoti.
She was 23. She was Badri’s only daughter. And she wanted to be a doctor.
Her gang rape on a bus in Delhi shocked and horrified not just India, but the entire globe.
And now Jyoti’s family has decided to make her name public. It will echo round the world.
In life Jyoti was known only to the family and friends around her who loved her so dearly.
But in death her name will become known far beyond the shores of her native India still in shock over so grotesque a crime.
It will become known in Western nations as a reminder of the inhumanity which lurks around us.
It will become known in the dark corners of the Third World where women can only hope for even basic human rights.
And it will become known to those who seek to demean and brutalise women as a warning they will not get away with it.
Jyoti will become a standard bearer for women everywhere. – Mirror, UK, 5 January 2013
Jyoti’s friend and companion, Awindra Pandrey, believes the attack had been carefully planned. The bus had tinted windows and curtains to hide the horrific two-and-a-half hour sexual onslaught. – Mirror UK
The friend who tried to save Jyoti Singh Pandey has told how they were lured into an horrific trap on a bus.
Awindra, 28, said: “The bus occupants had everything planned.
“Apart from the driver and helper, others behaved like they were passengers.
“We even paid 20 rupees as fare. Then they started teasing Jyoti.
“I beat three of them up but then the rest brought an iron rod and hit me.
“We were shouting, trying to make people hear us. But they switched off lights.
“We tried to resist them. Even Jyoti fought with them, she tried to save me.
“She tried to dial police control room number 100, but they snatched the mobile.
“Before throwing us off the bus, they tore off our clothes in order to destroy any evidence of the crime.
“After throwing us off they tried to mow us down but I saved Jyoti by pulling her away in the nick of time.
“We were without clothes. We tried to stop people passing by but no one stopped for about 25 minutes.
“People were probably afraid they would become a witness to the crime.” – Mirror, UK, 5 January 2013
NB: The image of Jyoti Singh Pandey has been removed as it could not be authenticated.
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