Writes Rameez Makhdoomi
On 16 December 2012 whole India was in for a shock as a female physiotherapy intern was beaten and brutally gang raped in Delhi. She succumbed to her injuries thirteen days later while undergoing emergency treatment in Singapore for brain and gastrointestinal damage.
The gruesome incident took place when she and her male companion after watching a film in South Delhi in the early evening, boarded a bus, which was being driven as an unauthorized “joyride”, thinking it was a public bus. Pertinently, the only other passengers on the bus were five men who were friends of the driver. All six, including the driver, were charged in connection with the assaults and have been arrested.
After this gruesome attack, she was taken to Safdarjang Hospital, received multiple surgeries, and was placed on mechanical ventilation. On 26 December, she was moved to Singapore for further treatment, where she died three days later on 29 December.
The incident immediately after being duly highlighted by both print and electronic gate generated wide national outrage with protests taking place in different cities of India especially the ones that have been carried out in Delhi. India Gate and places like Jantar Manter became hubs of agitating protesters. The protests also received International coverage and also proved the vulnerability of being women in India where the BBC points out rape is reported every 21 minutes.
This horrific act was also condemned by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, who called on the Government of India and the Government of Delhi “To do everything in their power to take up radical reforms, ensure justice and reach out with robust public services to make women’s lives more safe and secure”.
After generating a lot of hue and cry from media and civil society one hoped that this horrific incident would act as a “catalyst” to bring the perpetrators of heinous crime like rape to justice and in making concrete policy to address crimes against women in India. But within two weeks the hopes have been dashed with some of the “absurdist statements of human history” given by prominent men of India and media falling into trap by giving these wild statements undue coverage.
A well known Hindu spiritual guru, Asharam Bapu, sparked an outcry when he said the New Delhi victim was equally responsible and should have “chanted God’s name and fallen at the feet of the attackers” to stop the assault.
Every logic makes this statement sound horrible as chanting names in front of criminals and gangsters has never helped in the human history. Shamefully, this has also meant giving sanction to gruesome behavior and thus putting question mark on mental wisdom of this Guru.
Mohan Bhagwat, the head of the pro-Hindu radical outfit Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh that underpins the country’s main opposition political party (BJP), said rapes only occur in Indian cities, not in its villages, because women there adopt western lifestyles. Bhagwat had stated “Rapes occur in urban India not in rural “Bharat”.
It seems Mohan Bhagwat has crossed all limits of illiteracy as rural India which he calls as “Bharat” has also very high rate of rapes and other crimes committed against women. Just in month of October,2012, rural Haryana witnessed rape of 11 women belonging to so called lower castes. Pertinently Bhagwat needs to be taught that in rural India, rapes are common, but justice for victims is not
In the sadistic circle of insanity also entered the Madhya Pradesh Minister Kailash Vijaywargiy when he stated that only when Sitaji crossed the Lakshman Rekha, she was kidnapped by Ravan… “If Sitaji [woman] crosses the Lakshman Rekha, then Sitaharan [abduction] is bound to take place as Ravans are out there,” stated Vijaywargiy .
Every sane women had just this utterance in response to this nonsensical statement-“Why can’t the same Lakshman-Rekha apply to men who think it’s their birth right to impose limits on women. And who gives men the authority to “punish” women?.
“Women should not venture out with men who are not relatives,” Azmi, a member of Maharashtra Assembly Samajwadi Party said. At a time when the need is to talk of justice and policy mechanism Azmi clearly brought an unrelated issue to fore thus making mockery of his own political acumen.
Foolishness and uncivilized thinking from Indian men crossed all limits when the lawyer representing three of the men charged with the gang rape and murder of a medical student stated that he had not seen a single incident or example of rape with a respected lady,” Sharma said in an interview at a cafe outside the Supreme Court . “Even an underworld don would not like to touch a girl with respect,” said lawyer Manohar Lal Sharma.
So in a way Manohar Lal Sharma tried to glorify criminal mentalities and put every blame on the victim thus proving a blot to insight of entire legal fraternity.
After brutal Delhi Gang Rape it looks eminently clear that rather going into soul searching and finding solutions one is forced to observe that “Have Indian Men Gone Mad”?.