'I would cry so much, but had nobody to share my pain with'

Gang raped at 15, Dalit woman is now a law undergrad who wants to help other survivors

Sapna (not her real name) was abducted and gang raped by upper caste men from her village in the state of Haryana in 2012. She currently lives in Hisar in the same state and continues to fight a legal battle to have her attackers convicted. ST PHOTO: DEBARSHI DASGUPTA
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"Sapna" - the Hindi word for dream - is what she tells The Sunday Times to use in place of her actual name in this article. It is how this survivor of a gang rape in the state of Haryana wants to be identified - not as a diffident victim but as a doughty survivor.

The 23-year-old's dream is to become a lawyer so she can help other women survivors of sexual assault fight back.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on October 18, 2020, with the headline 'I would cry so much, but had nobody to share my pain with'. Subscribe