“They scratched my chest, insulted my dignity. I don’t want a life filled with casteism and people’s filthy gazes,” wrote 26-year-old T* before taking her own life. A nurse and the eldest of five siblings, T* died by suicide on Friday after being molested, physically assaulted, and caste-humiliated by her upper-caste neighbors — and then allegedly denied justice by the very police who were meant to protect her.
The incident began on April 30 in Keerti Nagar’s HUDCO Quarter. A few drops of water from cleaning the courtyard landed on a neighbor’s car. What should have been a trivial issue spiraled into caste violence. The neighbors — Shankar Lal Bishnoi, his wife, and their sons Rajendra (Raj) and Vikas (Vicky) — allegedly assaulted T*, her mother, and her younger brother.
T*’s family says she was clawed on her chest and face, an attempt not just to harm but to humiliate. In her handwritten suicide note, she named her alleged abusers and described how they targeted her for her caste. “I can’t live in a world where untouchability is normal. Even the police laughed at us.”
Despite the physical assault and casteist slurs, police at the Mata Ka Than station made the family wait over nine hours. In the end, they only filed minor charges against the accused — who were immediately released. T*’s note accused the Station House Officer, Bhanwar Singh Jakhad, and local councillor Jani Devi of supporting the accused. “The councillor said they have high-level connections. The SHO told us: ‘Nothing will happen to them.’”
Humiliated, terrified, and hopeless, T* hanged herself at 12:30 PM on May 2. She left behind a note full of pain: “Better to live one day like a lion than 100 days in fear. I fought alone.”
The aftermath has shaken Jodhpur. Protests erupted outside the police station. Bhadwasiya Road was blocked. Community members are refusing to allow T*’s post-mortem until the accused are arrested and SHO Jakhad is suspended.
Facing mounting outrage, the police have finally registered a case of abetment to suicide against the four accused. Assistant Commissioner of Police Nagendra Kumar promised action, but the community is skeptical. “We’ve heard promises before,” said one protester. “They protect the powerful and let our daughters die.”
T*’s final words haunt us: “No one stood by me. Not the police. Not the system. Not even my own.”
This story was originally published in theobserverpost.com.