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Abstract

Sathin Bhanwari’s rape that took place in 1992 was a case essentially locked within the dominant grid of patriarchy, which refuses to give her justice. In this piece I would like to point to patriarchy’s intersection with notions of citizenship and justice that complicate matters in delivering justice to Sathin Bhanwari. What makes this episode particularly disturbing is that although Bhanwari was selected and trained by the government state machinery to act as an agent of change, the other agents of this very machinery colluded in using the state apparatuses against her. What is required is a critical understanding and a reconceptualisation of the notions of citizenship and justice in order to use them as tools for women’s equality.

Keywords

Justice citizenship rape state patriarchy

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Sathin Bhanwari Revisited

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