Accused Number 6

He was allegedly the most violent of the accused in the Delhi gang rape case. Prawesh lama traces the juvenile's journey from a hamlet in Badaun, Uttar Pradesh, to the roadside eateries of Delhi and finally, to police records as the sixth accused in the case

As many stories begin, a young boy left his home in the village, eager to leave behind his life of penury and drawn to the promise of the big city. The city was brutal too and often the young boy from Badaun, Uttar Pradesh, had to punch way beyond his years as he frequently changed jobs—seven in five years. Today, the boy stands accused of rape. Allegedly, he was the most violent among the six people accused of raping a 23-year-old paramedical student in a moving bus in Delhi.

Islamuddin, owner of Barkat dhaba in New Kondli, an east Delhi locality that borders Noida, says he clearly remembers the last conversation he had with the boy over a year ago. One afternoon, the boy, whom he had fondly nicknamed Bhora, walked up to him and said he was done being a waiter and dish-washer. The boy told him that he had taken a vow to never wash dirty dishes again. Afraid of losing a good waiter who had, in the four years that he worked there, managed to impress most customers, Islamuddin offered to increase his salary by a thousand rupees, from the Rs 2,500 that he gave him every month.

"He said he was done with washing dishes. Even when I offered to pay him more, he was adamant that he would leave. He had already packed his small bag. He said he wanted to earn money and live a respectable life. He never came back to the dhaba after that day," says Islamuddin.

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