Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi played the Good Samaritan when he quietly helped the younger brother of Delhi gang rape victim “Nirbhaya”, to complete his training as a pilot.
The brother, who was 19 years old and a Class 12 student when his sister succumbed to grievous injuries inflicted by her rapists in 2012, has completed his training from the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi (IGRUA), in Rai Bareli, Uttar Pradesh, and is looking for a job.
“Nirbhaya” had two younger brothers. It is the elder of the two brothers who has completed the pilot training course. While he was seen in court during the trials, the youngest son of the family has been kept away from the media glare. The eldest son, who is now a pilot and looking for a job, was in the limelight for expressing his anger—he tried to start a fight with the juvenile accused in court. Pertaining to the Juvenile Justice Act (JJ Act), the juvenile charged in the case had been sentenced to only three years of imprisonment, which was deemed too less for committing such a heinous crime.
Congress leaders have not attempted to seek publicity for the deed since Rahul Gandhi has issued clear instructions that the family has to be helped confidentially.
Confirming the deed, Asha Devi, mother of “Nirbhaya”, told The Sunday Guardian that the Congress leader had indeed assisted her son in getting admission and completing the course. She stated that her elder son was the recipient of Rahul Gandhi’s “largesse and generosity”.
Asha Devi said, “After the scene at the court on the day of the judgement, we had decided to keep our sons away from Delhi. We were worried about how all this misfortune in our family would affect their future.”
The younger son of the family is now in the first year of his college and is pursuing his engineering degree from Pune. Asha Devi said that the higher education of the younger son is being funded by the family themselves.
“Nirbhaya’s” mother further confirmed that her husband, B.N. Singh, who was a contractual employee of a private company operating at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, had also been given a permanent employment. He is at present posted at Terminal 3. Asha Devi said, “His health has not been the same since the incident. It had become difficult for him to run around worrying for a permanent source of income. Now, he has a convenient desk job at T3 and it suits his deteriorating health.”
“Nothing has changed for women. They are still unsafe on the streets. People of this country have been kind towards us and they have supported our fight for justice. But the government and the law enforcement agencies need to ensure that rape survivors receive justice,” Asha Devi added.