MovieChat Forums > The Jewel in the Crown (1984) Discussion > Were Daphne and Hari Targeted?

Were Daphne and Hari Targeted?

posted 9 years ago by AzaleaRose
1 reply | jump to latest

I've been wondering about this and gang rape does not strike me a crime of opportunity. I could buy an individual rapist going one night and winding up at the Bibighar while on the lookout for a possible victim. But why would five or six be prepared to hang about in the undergrowth all night in the heavy rain in some random garden on the off-chance that someone might come by. Maybe these men got some kind of tip-off from someone?

[–] RobbieCalifornia 7 years ago

I'm sure it's in the book. The gang of hooligans who raped Daphne were probably hiding from the police in the Bibighar. Remember there had been unrest all over India because Gandhi had been arrrested. Merrick was on a rampage himself, chasing down any rioters, and the men were surely trying to avoid him. They just happened to come upon Hari and Daphne.

What a heartbreaking story. I was quite young when I first saw it and it made a huge impression on me.