'We would wake up to the sound of wailing': Araria social workers recount their experience in jail

On August 6, after being detained for 25 days in Bihar’s Samastipur jail, social workers Kalyani and Tanmay Nivedita were finally released on bail. Their arrest, along with the arrest of a 22-year-old gang rape complainant from Araria district, had sparked nationwide outrage last month.

On July 10, four days after the complainant had been allegedly raped by four unknown men, Kalyani and Tanmay had accompanied her to the district court where she narrated her story before the magistrate.

Since the complainant could not read, she refused to sign a statement written on her behalf unless it was read out to her.

Instead of helping her, the complainant claims the magistrate called her a “crazy, ill-mannered girl” and accused Kalyani and Tanmay of arguing with him when they tried to help the complainant. All three were arrested on charges of preventing government servants from doing their duty, and the social workers were specifically accused of trying to snatch the complainant’s written statement away from court officials. All three have strongly denied these charges.

While the four accused rapists are yet to be identified and arrested, the rape complainant, Tanmay and Kalyani were transported 240 km out of Araria to Samastipur jail. Tanmay, who identifies as a trans man, was also...

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