The recent heinous incident of rape in Delhi, where the girl is still battling for life with infections in intestine, has caused a mass outrage among public and for a change, supposedly in politicians too.
There has been cries for severe punishment of the convicts, which I (and everyone) perfectly agree with. Castration? Would not befit the crime! Death Penalty? Yes. Life imprisonment? Yes, as long as its till the “life” of the criminals. All I know, is there has to be a severe punishment with a special fast track court to pass on that judgement. It should not get lost in the ultra-slow legal process of our country, because, that in my opinion, dilutes the idea of judgement.
The punishment, how severe, will not “undo” the crime, but it will show that as a society, as a nation, we will not let the convicts enjoy a simple or rigorous imprisonment for a few years, and then again join us back in the free. We have to set an example. Public lynching is not the answer, since we are a civilized society. Nonetheless, it should not mean that we’ll go soft on the punishment for these deranged psychopaths.
We fail as a collective, as a society in protecting women. Time and again, I see and hear incidents, where people were just dumb and mute spectators to acts of eve-teasing.
By asking women to not venture out after sunset, is letting them know, that we are not responsible for your safety. I feel, it’s a statement of accepting failure to provide a safe and secure environment, and more than that, it’s a statement to let women know that, we’re not even concerned about you, cowering down to the criminals in our society.
Once, I was traveling alone in Delhi metro in somewhat crowded metro, when I hear two people talking about, why there is need for a reserved coach for women. How it is empty. Why can’t we enter it when it’s empty and all? They did not actually enter. But, what got me thinking about this that time was, about their mentality, that there’s no need for a reserved coach. That they were even thinking why not enter it? They were thinking, some actual do it, and some of those some, actually eve-tease or try to physically assault. Don’t deny this, as this happens a lot. If you would have noticed, there are always people who try to somehow “touch” a female, either during standing, or their best chance comes while boarding/de-boarding, esp at a crowded station.
Today, I read in the newspaper that, when the rape victim was dumped with her friend, there was a crowd onlooking, but not even a single soul out of that crowd had the decency to hand them a piece of cloth to cover them up. A crowd is always there just for tamasha in India. They seldom help, they seldom show signs of empathy
Let’s make this recent case a starting point for having better and stricter laws, having special fast track courts, more policing on our roads and streets. Let’s expect the police to gear up and be more aggressive and for the God’s sake. Let’s not crib when the police stops our bus or car or private vehicle for a checking at a check post. We, as concerned citizens of the society have to “help” as much as we can. We have to be alert. We have to understand that tinted glasses in the vehicles is a security concern. Maybe you want comfort from the sun outside, and you argue that I am not a criminal, and I am and will not do anything illegal. But, if it would have been that simple to figure out who is and who is not a criminal, then this matter would not have come up. Please, help police in ensuring the safety. Don’t be a crybaby for tinted glass, for checking (doesn’t matter how many times), don’t show your displeasure over not having curtains in the buses. All, if you are really concerned, and not just trying to show your fake concern over social networking sites. After all, it’s someone from our society who commits such crimes.!
Incognito 