Image of the small Christian enclave in a village that neighbours Deputy Sahab Village where Diya Bheel was killed.
Hindu and Christian women in Nazam Rajput Village, Sanghar call for protection after Diya Bheel sex horror crime.
Diya Bheel was raped, killed, skinned alive, had her breasts severed off and was beheaded, in a savage attack on Boxing Day (26 December) 2022. Read more (here).
Now Hindu and Christian women have told BACA they no longer feel safe in their community. Abduction and rape is a common occurrence they say, but the savage mutilation and murder has exacerbated existing anxiety.
News that Diya’s own brother was involved in the murder and that 4 local men conducted the ritual slaying as part of an occult practice, has destroyed community trust. Read more (here).
BACA has asked local police to increase patrols in the area to help women overcome fears for their safety.
Local women have informed us that they feel unsafe while travelling half a mile through crop fields, to obtain water for drinking and washing. BACA will be installing a local water pump and washroom facility if enough funds are raised. You can donate towards the project (here).
The murder of a mother of 5 in the district of Sanghar, on 26th December 2022, has created terror in the hearts of Christian and Hindu women residing there. Diya Bheel (42 yrs) was raped by five men who then skinned her, cut off her breasts and beheaded her remains. Read more (here).
The savage attack caught the attention of international media due to the severity and pernicious nature of the gratuitous violence. Gory images on social media of an eyed-skull with bits of flesh hanging off it, before a mutilated body with ribs showing and breasts sliced off by sickle, resonate with evil. One such image can be viewed at the end of our previous post (click here).
Several teams of police have been present at Deputy Sahab Village, since the murder of Diya and have controlled ingress and egress. Sadly for the family the same police arrested scores of innocent men including the brother of Diya and her eldest son, both of whom have complained about torture.
Four men involved in sorcery have now been charged with murder including Diya’s own brother. However, Police have now left the area and local Hindu women no longer feel safe. BACA has asked local police from Sanjhoro Police Station to enact extra patrols for the next few months and the Station House officer has agreed to do that. It is essential that local women are given time to regain their confidence as many have allowed fear to reduce their normal domestic routine, including obtaining water for washing and drinking.
Mrs Tari (43 yrs), said:
“I was shocked when I heard that Diya’s brother was involved in her murder.
“It is a warning that you cannot trust anybody.
“There are many villagers that practice black magic locally -its frightening.
“Any women could be their next target – we all feel very vulnerable.”
The women in Nazan Rajput Village work in farm fields which makes them vulnerable to sexual assaults, rapes and killings. A report written about the abduction and rape of minority girls and women written in 2014, heavily features reports from Sindh and the Punjab. The report estimates that 300 Hindu and 700 Christian girls are forcibly married to Muslim abductors in this way. You can read the report (here).
Around 20 Christian families live in a settlement at the outskirts of the village, they all live in abject poverty. The Christian converts have Hindu roots and like their Hindu counterparts earn a living by tilling land belonging to Muslim landlords on daily wages as low as 400 Rs (£1.44).
The community does not have access to safe drinking water in their midst. About half a mile from the Christian residents, a single handpump owned by a Muslim landlord is shared by Christians and others, albeit without express permission. To get water from the water pump, the community women have to travel long distances through fields with high grass and shrubs, they fear it is easy to go missing.
To meet obtain adequate water for the needs of their large families, women make numerous trips to the hand pump to collect water for drinking and washing. They carry water back home by placing large vessels on their heads which causes back ache, headaches and severe neck strain.
Mrs Porki Marwari (35 yrs) spoke with British Asian Christian Association, she said:
“It is very difficult for us to travel through overgrown fields, it takes lot of our time and bad people could be hiding their waiting for us.
“I get exhausted by carrying pots filled with water on my head multiple times a day, it’s a tough existence.
“Sometimes we have to wait for up to an hour to fill our pots”
Mrs Tari, added:
“We do not have a handpump in our community.
“We go alone to fill up the pots with water through the big mustard fields, its very frightening now, but we have no other option.
“We need water to live”
Mr Peero Masih, a local farm worker, shared his concerns:
“Women work at home and most of their time is spent in carrying water pots from the handpump at a considerable distance from our homes”
The recent incident has spread a wave of fear among the minority women across the province.
“Men are worried about them, we desperately need our own water pump close to our village.
“Please help.”
To install a clean water hand pump at Nazam Rajput Village we need to raise £500. We would also like to build a toilet and shower facility that women from the community can safely use, which would cost a further £1000. If you would like to donate towards this project please (click here). You can view two installations we completed last year (here) and (here)
Juliet Chowdhry, Trustee for British Asian Christian Association, said:
“I cannot begin to imagine, how vulnerable local women must be feeling.
“This attack was extremely violent and brutal and Diya’s last moments on this earth were simply sheer terror.
“It’s worrying to discover that the murderers where from Diya’s own community and that the sickening violence was part of an occult practice.
“Unfortunately, this probably means that others who were aware of the ritual killing may not have been apprehended.
“Besides with Diya’s own brother involved in the murder, community trust has eroded.
“It will take a long time for this community to heal, till then many will be have sleepless nights.”
