NAGPUR: Forgotten for decades until a TOI front-page report revived national outrage, the tribal woman known as “Mathura” — whose 1972 rape in a police station reshaped India’s sexual-assault laws — asked for nothing for herself when officials reached her rundown hut in eastern Maharashtra. Undernourished and partially paralysed at 72, she urged Chandrapur district collector Vinay Gowda to help her two sons find work.Gowda said the administration is exploring contractual jobs or business support for them. “The younger of the two seemed proactive. We can think of helping him start a shop or a goat-rearing business,” he said.During his visit Tuesday, Gowda handed over a Rs 8 lakh cheque that was deposited in the presence of a bank manager accompanying him. A fixed deposit has been opened, requiring the tehsildar’s approval for withdrawal, and is expected to generate Rs 5,000 a month for her.Maharashtra govt will also provide a home under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana at the same spot where she now lives, with the gram panchayat tasked with construction. An official has been assigned to coordinate her needs. Gowda said he is weighing support for land under a tribal scheme that can offer up to Rs 20 lakh for about 4 acres.
