New Delhi: The mother of Nirbhaya, the 23-year-old woman who was brutally gang-raped and killed in a moving bus in 2012, has thanked Rahul Gandhi for helping her son become a pilot.
"Ever since I lost my daughter, I had given up all hopes, but today, when I see Aman (name changed) as a pilot, my willingness to live comes back because I know how much Nirbhaya wanted his brother to become a pilot," Asha Devi told CNN-News18.
She said that Rahul sponsored her son’s education and called him often to counsel and motivate him. "And today I feel everybody should know that I'm grateful to Rahul and Priyanka for supporting us throughout this toughest phase of our lives."
The brother was a Class 12 student when his sister succumbed to grievous injuries inflicted by her rapists. He wanted to join the Army, but the tragedy shook him and derailed his plans.
When Rahul learned that Aman wanted to join the defence forces, he asked him to pursue a pilot's training course, she said. He helped get him enrolled at an academy in Rae Bareli, which is the parliamentary constituency of Sonia Gandhi.
Asha Devi said that the Congress vice-president used to talk to him over the phone during the 18-month course and taught him to adopt a “never quit attitude." Rahul’s sister, Priyanka, also called the family often to enquire about their health.
Nirbhaya's brother has now completed his training from the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi (IGRUA), in Rai Bareli, Uttar Pradesh. "He is now undergoing final training with a commercial airline in Gurugram. He will soon fly a plane. Had she (Nirbhaya) been there, she would have been the happiest of us all. I know wherever she is, she is watching his brother becoming a pilot."
While Aman was seen in court during the trials, the youngest son of the family has been kept away from media glare. He is studying engineering in Pune. Their father works at the Indira Gandhi International airport in the capital.
The attack shook the country and saw mass protests in several cities and towns. In May this year, the Supreme Court had upheld the death sentence to all the four convicts. Another convict had died in prison, while the minor involved was released in December 2015 after serving three years in a detention home.
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