Husband falsely implicated, lodged in Thane Central Jail
On the night of December 14, 2016, Harishankar Shukla, a modest professor was picked up from his house in Navi Mumbai over allegations that he had raped a 13-year-old schoolgirl (now 15), of the Mahatma Gandhi Mission School, Nerul, where he taught. He has been languishing behind bars for almost one year now.
Independently undertaking her own probe to ensure her partner's freedom, his wife Anjali Shukla is furious and feels let down by the system after she managed to punch loopholes in the case herself and found discrepancies in the victim's statement, which changed a few times.
Hunger strike for authorities to take notice?
Harishankar, who has gone on an indefinite hunger strike has shrunk, weighing just 50 kgs now from his earlier frame of 80. Currently lodged in Thane Central Jail, Anjali says she has no clue of her husband's health since the last eight days as she has not been allowed to meet him either.
On a previous occasion too, when the 34-year-old had gone on a 44-day hunger strike, the court had assured him that an unbiased investigation would take place.
Anyone listening to a fighting mother?
Anjali claims that her efforts of approaching senior police officials of Mumbai and Navi Mumbai Police largely remained unfruitful. She has written to the Chief Justice of India (CJI), Prime Minister of India, the President, Mumbai's Commissioner of Police (CP), Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP).
Two others named in chargesheet
Along with Harishankar, two others – the victim's cousin brother and her boyfriend – have also been named in the chargesheet. However, the duo were not subjected to any kind of DNA test, nor have they been thoroughly questioned.
“The boyfriend has issued an apology letter to the girl's (victim) father saying that he is sorry for doing such a bad thing. I want to know what that bad thing is. I think they (the girl's parents) are trying to save her and protect the name and identity of the family. When he has said that he loves the girl then where is the question of my husband raping her when his contract had expired and he had stopped teaching at the school at the time of the incident,” says the distraught wife.
All she demands is a free and fair probe because she believes that her husband has nothing to hide; that he is only willing to tell the truth and is even ready to take a narco-analysis test, DNA test and a lie detector test. He also has school documents to furnish to highlight his story.
Victim lying or in trauma?
The 13-year-old has even retracted her statement a few times, stating the incident took place in August, then going on to say it happened in April in 2016, claiming to not remember. Also, Sunita (name of victim changed), first said that she was raped and attacked from behind, later stating she was attacked from the front. These changing statements prompt one to think whether she is lying or actually in trauma. But nobody is refusing to accept the fact that she could be under pressure from home or has been made to parrot something that does not exist at all. The courts (Sessions and High Court) are willing to give Sunita the benefit of doubt that she is scared and under immense pressure, and this eventually led to Harishankar's bail being rejected in the courts. The courts also ask “why will a 13-year-old lie?”
The DNA tests
Two DNA tests have taken place until now and the result of the first one has come negative. The result of second DNA test which took place in September 2017 is yet to arrived.
While Anjali claims to have lost faith in Navi Mumbai Police, she agrees that the rape has taken place.
“Sunita has been raped, except that my husband has not done it. I know the girl because I was her class teacher and I know that she is lying, while the real culprit is still out, roaming around free,” says the pained wife.
Sunita, who was pregnant and had to abort the two-month-old foetus, which is currently at the (Forensics Science Laboratory) FSL, is hiding something as details emerging in the case sound unconvincing and lacking merit, including the FIR which has irregularities. One big question being raised is that if the child is not Harishankar's then whose is it?
The wife, a teacher herself, is demanding a CBI probe and a narco-analysis test of the victim and her parents. She says she won't back down despite threats and intimidation by Sunita's father in court and on the phone.
The statement given by the minor does not corroborate with the facts and truth in the case as the professor was not in service and present on the premises, having resigned from the school in April 2016.
“I will go on a fast unto death. No point of my children and me living and starving to death when my husband and their father isn't here. I will try and meet the Commissioner,” says the determined mother of two.
Also, why did the victim remain silent and not immediately bring this to the notice of her parents? She alleges that she was threatened (by the professor) with death if she spoke of the rape to anyone, which is why she kept mum about the incident for a few months. However, she was also regularly present in school for two months despite such a 'big' incident.
Charges pressed
Harishankar has been booked for Section 376 (rape), along with ten other relevant Sections under the Indian penal Code (IPC) and Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences Act (POCSO).