Her name has finally been revealed. The tragic death of a 23-year old woman gang raped on a bus has shocked the world. Her father has now, only revealed the name of his beloved daughter who left them much too soon.
Her name is Jyoti Singh Pandey and she was a daughter, sister, friend and future doctor.
In an interview with The Mirror, her father, Badri, 53, says of his decision to share her name with the world, “We want the world to know her real name. I am proud of her. Revealing her name will give courage to other women who have survived these attacks. They will find strength from my daughter.”
Discovering the truth
In the interview, Badri recounts the moment he first saw his daughter in hospital, “I put my hand on her forehead and called her name. She slowly opened her eyes and started crying and said she was in pain.”
Being the father, he tried to be strong for his daughter and ‘held [his] tears’, while speaking words of comfort.
He was only privy to the knowledge of his daughter’s ordeal after a policeman filled him in. By this time, Badri had called his wife and two sons to come down to the hospital to see Jyoti as he understood how much seeing her family might comfort her.
Barbaric and inhuman acts
Finding out the extent of the torture these men had inflicted on his daughter, Badri was left speechless and could only say, “They’re not human, not even animals. They’re not of this world.” He reiterated this by calling them beasts and demanding ‘death for all six of them.’
Remaining strong
Despite Jyoti’s injuries, they were all hopeful of her survival. And Jyoti proved to be strong and a survivor lasting almost two weeks in the hospital. Her father says, “She did write on some paper that she wanted to live, she wanted to survive and stay with us. But it was fate that had the last say in the end.”
The whole family have been devastated by her death and have moved back to their village in Uttar Pradesh, as staying put in Delhi, the scene of the crime is just too painful.
India’s daughter
The father has expressed how much he and his family have been touched by the way the nation has supported them.
He said, “The people of India have given us strength to cope up with our loss. I feel she’s not just my daughter but also India’s daughter.”
“I used to read about rape incidents in the newspapers but never digested it much. We’re so thankful to the people who came out to protest against the barbarity.”
A father’s hope
Badri understands that the way women are treated in India and the high incidence of rape cannot be handled by the law alone. He says, “Parents need to keep an eye on their children too.” and hopes that his daughter’s death will spur mothers and fathers to teach their sons to respect women.
