After fighting for her daughter’s justice for seven years, it was a moment for the devastated parents to celebrate. In Nirbhaya’s rape & murder case, the court ordered that four convicts will be hanged on January 22 for gang-raping, torturing and killing their daughter.
Moments before the judge pronounced the order and signed a death warrant, the convict Mukesh Singh’s mother walked up to Nirbhaya’s mother, held her saree in a gesture of begging, and pleaded:
“Mai apne bete ki zindagi ki bheek mangti hu. Meri jholi mein mere bete ki jaan de do (I beg you.. please spare the life of my son…give him to me..)”
Watching the same Nirbhaya’s mother too wept, but in a strong tone, responded:
“Meri bhi beti thi, main kaise bhoolun uske saath kya hua. Main iss din ka intezaar saat saal se kar rahi hoon ( she was my daughter.. how can I forget what they did to her. For seven years I have waited for this.)”
Nirbhaya’s mother recently spoke to NDTV as she shared how she felt no emotion when convict Mukesh Singh’s mother pleaded with her:
“Seven years ago we lost our daughter. The state in which I saw my daughter, her body soaked in blood… there were so many injuries on her body that if was as if she had been attacked by animals. I have cried tears of blood for seven years. It does not affect me now if anyone is crying and begging for mercy. Because after crying for seven years, I have become a stone. I feel nothing,”
“We saw our daughter in the worst possible state. I have been dying for seven years.”
“The battle won was not just that of Nirbhaya or for us. It is about justice and safety for every daughter of the country.”
Fighting for more than 7 years, Nirbhaya’s parents faced many disappointing court hearings and accepted many frustrating moments to ensure their daughter seek justice. When being asked will the execution of the four convicts brings closure for the family, Nirbhaya’s father mentioned:
“No one can ever forget or be the same after what we saw, the way life seeped out of our daughter,”
“The pain will remain with us for life. But now when the men are hanged, it will be a big message for the country, especially for criminals, that they cannot escape the law.”
At IFORHER, we are in awe of these parents as they never let the circumstances break their souls. It is never easy to lose your kid. But, how these parents channeled their pain to seek justice for their daughter is quite inspiring.
As we eagerly wait for 22nd January, we wish our countrymen will seek inspiration from this family’s painful story so that no women meet the fate that Nirbhaya met.
