‘It’s like the life we had never existed... every day now passes in a flash’

"Every two hours, there is a new rumour. On social networks, celebrities and many friends flash her obituaries every night. For them it is just an online status they correct in two hours. At the same time, media channels say she has had a two-hour conversation, she has walked, she has smiled, she has hugged UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi," he says.

Last Friday, he saw claims on a TV channel of his sister having "taken a few steps, with brother's help", and "walking for the first time after the incident". She was actually vomiting and complaining of a new abdominal pain that day.

"That night, my mother and sister hardly slept. It was a long and bad night for us, and TV channels were flashing that she was on her feet. I was tired and angry," he recounts.

On Sunday, as the protests over the rape turned violent in Delhi, the family faced another pressure. Even as the victim went through one more operation, her brother says the police approached them.

"They told us more than 80 people had been injured, that people were getting violent in my sister's name. They wanted us to make an appeal for peace. We wanted the movement to continue, but we did not want violence," her brother says.

Towards the evening, when she was brought back to the ICU after her surgery, her father finally conceded to the demand. The father's appeal to "Please help the police in maintaining law and order. Pray for my daughter, vandalism can serve no purpose", rang out through media channels late on Sunday night.

A day later, the father does not want to interact with the media, despite repeated requests. "My father is scared that a wrong message has gone out. It seems like we don't want the protests. We are suffering so much, why should we be against the movement? Now, he has decided against speaking to the media. There were more requests from the police, but we told them we don't want to risk it again," the brother says.

... contd.

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