The Spanish tourist, who was allegedly gang-raped while on a bike ride with her husband in Jharkhand, has posted a video on YouTube describing the horror she witnessed. In the nearly hour-long video, the couple said “a lot was said, some things were true and some were lies,” and they wanted to “reflect on what really happened.” The alleged assault took place on March 2, when the 28-year-old spent the night with her partner in a makeshift tent. The couple, now back in Spain, have visited 67 countries on their ongoing cycling tour, which they have resumed.
The couple also says in the video that they want to “put an end to this annoying phase”.
The video starts with the couple looking for a place to stay while crossing Dumka. They wanted to stay somewhere far away from people, but are soon surrounded by locals who inquire about their trip.
The woman claims she was raped by seven men, and the video also shows one of the alleged perpetrators. After describing the incident, the video shows the couple in the hospital with bruises on their face and hands.
“We decided to record everything because we didn't really know what was going to happen. Whether the police would take us seriously, or whether they would send us home, we didn't know,” a text message super on the video read .
The couple left for Spain on March 5 and spoke South China morning Report about the incident.
“I think everyone in the world expects me to say, 'Don't go to India,' but life is much more complicated than that. What happened to me in India could have happened anywhere else. Not so long ago, a couple to India Belize, in Central America, the same thing happened to them,” the woman had told the newspaper.
“My advice to women is to get out of the house, travel and do it without fear. If you go camping, it should be in a place, not too far from the road, where you can easily call for help and have a have a signal for your phone,” she had further said.
However, she added that they plan to continue their bike rides.
In India, days after the incident, the Ministry of External Affairs had said the case was “under investigation” and several people had been arrested.