I do not feel that I should start by describing the brutal gang rape incident that shamed the nation again. Everyone is well aware of what happened on that unfortunate night. The victim currently is battling for her life in a New Delhi hospital while all the accused have been arrested. During the Identification parade held at the court of the metropolitan magistrate, one of the accused admitted that he was so ashamed of the brutality that he committed that the only punishment for him was Death.
Now over the past few days , interesting debates have taken place over almost all news channels , with many representatives of agencies , many eminent personalities participated and various view points emerged. However, there are certain issues that are left unaddressed because of the overwhelming emotional aspect that is associated with this incident.
This unfortunate gang rape case happened in the Capital city. Now because of this , the case has been highlighted everywhere and has been given priority and has been discussed in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
The people of Delhi , the nation in general and the Media played a critical role in pressurizing the government to take some immediate steps.
ISSUE : We all know very well that it’s not just Delhi where such cases happen. Even as I write this, such an atrocity will be in progress in some part of India. There are numerous places in this nation where there is minimal media presence, where victims are too ashamed to come out and report such a crime. Many are even murdered and their decomposed bodies are found at a stage when identification or even judging what possibly happened to the victim is impossible. There still exist areas in India where uncrowned ‘goondas’ rule and the district magistrates and the police fear them, so is it possible that the people will have the courage to report such a crime ?
In a nutshell, what I’m trying to say is simple: This is injustice. Today because of the tremendous pressure in Delhi and the public outburst, this case, may be fast-tracked , special courts may be set up , and perhaps an exemplary verdict may be given out. But my question is this- What about the others? What about the victims whose cases are still pending? What about the victims whose cases remain in dusty files in police stations buried beneath many other files? Do they not deserve equal justice? A rape is a rape. Period. Whether it happens in the capital or in a village – punishment should be equal. Justice must be done. And it must be quick.
The Delhi Police fiasco : Now a majority of us are blaming the Delhi Police as we all rightly should , but they are not the only ones at fault. I absolutely agree with the fact that the bus should not have been plying on that route , it should not have had tinted glasses and it should have been detected by the Police Patrolling vehicles/pickets. But it did not happen. This perhaps served as a wake up call for them. The anger is such that the Police Headquarters where gheraoed by the Protestors and so was the CM Residence. ITO was blocked leading to major traffic snarls. Delhi Police needs to do much more starting from making its officers sensitive and more receptive to complaints of eve teasing and related incidents.
ISSUE : Is it only the Delhi Police that is at fault here ? I think not and the following are certain points that I wish to elaborate upon ( you may not agree on some points and I’m open to criticsm but please understand that by these questions I’m only trying to find a solution!)
A) We are seeing a number of female activists and MP’s who are coming on National Television on Prime Time to condemn this incident and they are shouting , blaming every agency they can think of and in one particular news show , they shouted down the Delhi Joint Commissioner of Police Mr. Tejinder Luthra , not even giving him a chance to explain himself. Today one MP is addressing a crowd at Jantar Mantar while another is expressing solidarity by joining the protestors on the streets.
My question to you is simple : Were you sleeping all this while ? Did this incident wake you up from your deep slumber ? You are MP’s , how often have you brought up this issue in Parliament ? ‘Issue’ necessarily does not mean calling for a discussion when such incidents happen and then pointing fingers. Just like a friend of mine rightly told me over facebook – For 15 minutes of news on prime time they will come on national television dressed for the occasion, shout, be emotional, point fingers, but the next day , everything will be forgotten. This wasn’t the first incident- then why were you quiet all this while?
B) The NCW or the National Commission for Women – It’s a body with limited Powers. All they can actually do is seek reports and write letters to the government when such Incidents happen.
1) In my opinion, giving them much more power is a good solution , so that they can actually do something when such brutal incidents occur apart from writing letters! So what I propose is simple : Make the NCW a body that has got immense powers. Make the Police , the Government accountable to them.
2) Also , apart from issuing advertisements in print media and on TV , they should be much more proactive. Just like the government of Delhi launched the citizen-government partnership schem called ‘Bhagidari’ why not introduce a scheme where NGO’s working for women safety and awareness can join hands with the NCW and pool in their resources ?
3) Give the NCW the power to take cognizance of an incident and instruct the Police Station of the area to report to them and monitor it on a daily basis ? ( Just like the state police reports to the EC during an election
C) Now I’d like to discuss a very IMPORTANT aspect. This is related to education & awareness.
Please correct me if I’m wrong , but quite a few (Not all) of the incidents that I hear about are committed by people who are drivers , people who reside in slums – This I believe is the really crucial part of a much bigger problem.Many of such people are uneducated , come from families that have a very different lifestyle , they have not seen the city life and that is one factor that comes into play for such crimes taking place!
So, we need to have a wider approach to stop such crimes – starting from education, starting from awareness , starting from stronger ethics , stronger values , programs and methods to ensure that people grow up with a good character!
I would not hesitate to also say that while one India is becoming modern with each passing day , the other still lives unexposed to such a lifestyle. But of course that does not give someone the license to rape someone else, but isn’t this in fact true?
D) The ‘dress appropriately’ issue : I of course will disagree with anyone on this planet who says that the women are at fault for them being dressed inappropriately and should an incident happen , their dressing sense is to be blamed. But I don’t feel that it is justified to shout at anyone who makes this remark in a different context! One of my friends made a similar remark and invited criticism from all his female friends on facebook. What he meant was this : This society has certain perverts. We all agree to that- I’m sure. Now incidents are being reported daily and the city is unsafe. So by suggesting you to dress appropriately , the finger is not being pointed at you! All that is being conveyed is the fact that you are right at your place , but the other , a possible rapist , an eve teaser isn’t! So precaution should be taken!
We often advise that be careful on the roads , even if you drive safely , there is no guarantee that the other will! Please understand , in some contexts , this is exactly what is being conveyed by this!
E) Alcoholism & Capital Punishment : The Link .
Assume like most of us demand that Death be made the punishment for rape. ( some even suggest stronger measures such as handing the accused over to the public , castrating them etc.) I can’t disagree much here without inviting the public ire. But honestly , to all those who do feel that this will reduce such instances , it may , but it’s not the solution to the problem.
Take up the Delhi Case for instance – The accused were under the influence of Alcohol. Answer one question for me and I shall ask no more!
While the person(s) who commits such a crime is/are drunk , will they be in their senses to think about the punishment that will be handed over to them ? I think this question explains it perfectly.
Through this , all I’m trying to say is that please do not treat this incident as if this was the first and only one of its kind. Because of this public outburst while the victim in question may get justice , thousands of cases outside Delhi will still remain pending. By having better policing , the problem cannot be ‘eliminated’ – it is the part of a bigger problem and that problem has to be addresses first and from the grassroot levels! And with this , I implore the people of Delhi to please maintain calm and not block roads like they did! The worst that can happen because of this is that Ambulances can get stuck in the traffic and another life may be lost and I’m sure none of you would want that to happen!
