Fridae

What should have been a regular Saturday night turned into a harrowing nightmare for a 23-year-old web designer from Ahmedabad. On his way back home after meeting his friends on the S G Highway, he was allegedly raped by two policemen in Vastrapur. 

Recounting the horror, the man said, "I was returning home from S G Highway around 2.30 am on my two-wheeler. The roads were empty. Two cops on a motorcycle passed by. They looked at me but did not flag me down. A little ahead, I saw them standing by the road." 

"They stopped me and asked for my licence. I showed it to them. They saw a packet of condoms in the front carrier and asked me why I had it. When I said it was for safety, they asked me if I was the same guy in 'that parade'," said the 23-year-old man, whose family and friends know of his sexual orientation. 

The policemen were referring to the Gay Pride Parade held in Ahmedabad to mark World Aids Day on December 1. 

"When I feigned ignorance, they asked me, 'tu leeti chu?' It was a derogatory way of questioning my sexual preference. Offended, I said, 'No, I am gay'." 

The policemen then allegedly asked the man to accompany them. "They took me to a dark, narrow lane. They stopped near a gate in the wall, locked my hands to its iron bars and tried to sodomise me." 

The men then allegedly dragged him to the opposite side of the road. 

"They pushed me down. I cried but they both forced themselves on me. They forced me to perform oral sex. When one of them was done with me, I got up to leave but the other dragged me, injuring me further," he said , pointing to his wounded knees. 

"They were reeking of alcohol. They pushed me down, jumped on their motorcycle and fled the spot," he said. He added that he did not remember either their names, or the number of their motorcycle. All he remembered was that they were in uniform. 

He has not filed a complaint fearing police harassment. "I came out of the closet when I was 15 years old. Had homosexuality been legal, I would have had the courage to file a complaint. Also, my attackers were cops. How can I expect any justice from them?" 

Also, the man believes he does not have the means to prove the crime. "There were no CCTV cameras. I was in shock so I went home and bathed. I do not think the attack can be proved medically. I have spoken up now because I want others to know the trauma gays have to suffer." 

Chairperson of Gujarat LGBT pride festival Swagat Shah, said, "I really wish he had filed a police complaint. But I understand his viewpoint. We have lost hope in the police and government."