"A charge of rape does not necessarily turn the accused into a convicted rapist. True. And equally truly, it does not turn the woman making the charge, overnight, into a slut, a murderer, or a communal/political conspirator."
Thanks to Kafila for this piece by Shivani and Sucheta (who I do not know personally).... http://kafila.org/2013/12/26/in-tragic-and-tough-times-thoughts-in-the-wake-of-a-rape-charge-and-a-suicide-sucheta-de-and-shivani-nag/ It helps put matters into perspective in the face of overwhelming grief and shock at Khurshid's tragic end. This is not the first time, of course, that someone known/close to me or someone committed to radical politics has been accused of sexual assault. I maintain a list....it has never stopped to grow. And each time it has been tough and each time I have managed with the support of like minded fellow travelers and organizations like Saheli and FAOW and PUDR (the first that come to my mind) to steer in pursuit of some principled clarity that takes us a step closer to a society we women too wish to see for ourselves. This is of course the first time that someone accused of sexual assault committed suicide. It calls for all of us to be together (instead of taking sides) and make it easier for women - like the complainant in this case - to continue to speak up. Khurshid was a friend of mine too. Sad but hopeful as always, Ranjana -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "humanrights movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to humanrights-movement+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to humanrights-movement@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/humanrights-movement. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
