Kumari Bhagwati was abducted by Rahitosh Godara & Krishnan Godara in 2000. During her 20 months as a captive, she was subjected to forced sexual intercourse by a number of persons at various places in Hanumangar and Ganganagar districts.

When she was eventually rescued, a FIR No. 493/2001 was filed on 18.10.2001 under secs. 363, 376, 342, 323 and 120B IPC. While Kumari was able to name 70 accused in her FIR, the police only put in 22 persons, including one woman, as the main accused, and till date they have managed to arrest only 15 people.

Vigourous efforts made by the Centre for Dalit Human Rights have pushed this case to higher level officials and political personalities, including the Chief Minister of Rajasthan, until the culprits were arrested. The case is currently before the courts.

The Dalits of Chakwara village are barred from entering the village temple, cannot bathe in the village ghats, and Dalit grooms cannot ride a horse through the village without police protection, all these prohibitions stemming from their lower caste status to the dominant castes of the village. Any protest against such traditions invites severe retribution for the whole Bairwa community, ration shop owners and other shopkeepers turning the Dalits away.

Rajasthan has faced severe drought conditions for the past four years, resulting in widespread water shortages that have had an unequal impact on lower caste communities such as the Bairwa community in the village. Beset with this problem, this led Babu Lal Bairwa and his brother, on 14 December 2001, to take a bath in the ghat normally reserved by the dominant castes for themselves. However, this act was branded as a revolt against the dominant castes, who summoned the village Panchayat to impose a fine on the whole Bairwa community. That evening, dominant caste villagers from Chakwara surrounded Babu Lal's house, calling for his blood. Even though police were informed, they did not turn up until the next day, and then it was only for them, the Circle Inspector and Tehsildar, to rebuke the Bairwas for breaking with tradition.

On 15 December 2001 the dominant caste villagers held a meeting, at which it was decided to impose a fine of Rs. 50,000/- on Babu Lal Bairwa for 'compromising the maryada (dignity) of the village by breaking its tradition and for involving the village administration. When the Bairwas refused to pay the fine, the dominant castes become furious and tried to lynch the Bairwas, who constitute only around 10% (600 to 700 families) of the village. The Bairwas ultimately lodged a FIR on 17 January 2002 at Phagi Police Station against 17 accused dominant caste persons, but to date the police refuse to take action in favour of the Dalits. Meanwhile, the Bairwas have been socially and economically boycotted in the village by dominant caste shop owners and from all public facilities.

The Bairwas have approached the Rajasthan State Human Rights Commission, the Chief Minster and the district administration, and some police were dispatched to Chakwara to guard over the Dalits whilst they took a bath in the common village ghat on 18 January 2002. However, when a group of Bairwas went to the ghat on 24 January 2002, they were chased away by a mob of dominant castes wielding lathis and sharp weapons. The district administration and even the State Human Rights Commission have closed their cases and expressed their inability to take action against the dominant castes of Chakwara, despite the illegality of the dominant castes' actions.

On 3 February 2002 Tara Devi, a 22-year-old woman, was raped by Chatiaya. Tara Devi's parents wanted to report the incident, but the SHO delayed in filing the FIR, then did not file it under the correct section of the law, the file was left incomplete and the SHO then proceeded to help the dominant caste rapist to destroy evidence of the rape.

The investigation and medical examination were not conducted on time, thereby considerably weakening the victim's case and chances of obtaining justice. It was with the help of the Centre for Dalit Human Rights that the culprit was arrested on 20 March 2002, only to released out on bail on 13 April 2002. Since then the culprit has been threatening to kill Tara Devi and her family. The attempt of her parents to inform the police of these threats was met with the police throwing them out of the police station. Meanwhile, one important witness to the rape, being from the dominant caste Gurjar community, has been pressurised considerably by the community to keep silent, resulting in his changing his statement in order for it to be impossible for Tara Devi's family to support their case. The family neither has the means nor the resources or contacts in high places like the culprit, to fight their case in court.