(November 4, 2010) Sister Meena, who was raped during the anti-Christian violence
in Orissa, identified her offenders in court on November 3. She deposed before the
District and Sessions Judge in Cuttack, Orissa’s legal capital, for more than 90 minutes.
When the court asked her whether she could identify her offenders she pointed out
to Santosh Patnaik as her rapist. She also identified five persons, including the
one who stood on her hand as the crime was being committed. Orissa police had arrested
19 people for allegedly attacking the nun on Aug. 25, 2008, as well as raping and
parading her half-naked through the streets. Fighting back tears, the nun narrated
how her attackers pulled her out from her hiding place, dragged her with her hair
and fondled her before raping her. The nun had appeared before the court first time
on November 2, but her statement could not be recorded as public prosecutors assigned
to her case failed to appear in court. The court had ordered Sister Meena to appear
in person either on November 2 or 3 to record her statement. Earlier, the Orissa
High Court had rejected the nun’s plea to keep her from deposing in the trial court.
A High Court judge directed her to approach the trial court to address her grievances.
The case was shifted to Cuttack after the nun refused to appear in a trial court in
Kandhamal district, the epicentre of the 2008 sectarian violence.