Kerala: A Dalit woman in India claims she was raped by 64 men over five years

Police have registered around 18 cases under India’s various criminal laws as well as the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act – a law to prevent crimes against people belonging to lower castes and tribes in India.

Dalits are at the bottom of the Hindu caste hierarchy and face widespread discrimination in India despite laws protecting them.

Senior police officer Nandakumar S told BBC Hindi that cases were also registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act as the violence took place when the woman was a minor.

It is expected that more facts will be recorded in the coming days as the police are investigating the incident. A team of 25 people was formed.

Police say the alleged abuse began when the girl was 13 years old. The News Minute website reports that her neighbor molested her and took nude photos of her.

The neighbor allegedly sexually assaulted her again when she was 16, took videos of the abuse and shared it with several others who continued to abuse the woman over the years.

A lawyer who heads the district’s Child Welfare Committee (CWC) told the Indian Express that the woman was an athlete and participated in various sports camps, which could have contributed to more violence.

The police say that the woman has committed three robberies in the last 5 years.

It is reported that the people who insulted her used her father’s phone number to contact her and she saved their contacts on the phone. Currently, the police are using the phone to search for the accused.

The woman’s family is said to be unaware of the alleged abuse.

The matter came to light last month when a team of counselors visited the woman’s home. The counselors alerted the CWC about the matter and the woman was asked to appear before the committee along with her mother.

“She was counseled and she opened up to a psychologist explaining the sexual abuse she had been facing since the age of 13,” the CWC chief told The Indian Express.

He added that the woman has been shifted to a CWC-affiliated shelter for her protection.

The woman’s allegations shocked the whole country. He is expected to make a detailed statement regarding the alleged harassment of a female police officer.

Additional reporting by Imran Qureshi, BBC Hindi