Government scared of People: A rare sight

This is an important time for India and her people - both men and women.

This is not just standing up for women's right where rape only angers the female species. Even a man will be a father and a husband to someone - so will he wait for the "rarest of the rare" rape category to happen before he is assured that the rapist will be awarded a death sentence?

So as the country assembles at one of its most prestigious monuments, the India Gate, New Delhi, the government, media and the police gets a feel of the very people it hopes to subdue with the "system". Surprisingly, the media is supporting the cops - "They (the cops) had to fire cannons, because the public was pelting stones at them." Will someone ask why the people had to pelt in the first place?

Rahul Gandhi says that emotions cannot drive decisions. What is that even supposed to mean? Wait a minute, I know what he means. He means that we must all go home and sit and watch Dabang 2 and wait for the government to draft some anti-rape laws... like punishing rapists on "rarest of the rare cases".

The court is sentencing 14 days' jail to the rapists until identification and confession, under strict protection because the government is afraid if the people get hold of these rapists then they will kill the latter. It is interesting to note that for once, in our country the government and police are afraid of the people. Also interesting is the paradox: the police are now protecting rapists against the people.

Amid all this, people are asking the quintessential question: whether mob should drive political laws? Whether or not this is a case of democracy going in to the anarchy mode? I have a question for these people: Imagine what that rape victim must have gone through that she is still in the ICU even after a week, and cannot walk. The doctor today said she needed more stitches. Is this a picture of democracy?

The government should understand that people are, by definition, driven by apathy and indifference. When that basic shred of dignity is threatened, there will be violence, unrest and these protests. I am not justifying this. But then this has happened and we must analyze as to why people are driven to this point. Hopefully, we should find our answers there. All they care is about their right to life and luxury. The government cannot take this for granted. They cannot take forever to draft laws that must be for the protection of women's safety - it could be your mother or my sister.

I think India must have gone to protest the very day when the first public rape had come to light. If not for the anger of we, the people, this case would again be sidelined - by the media and the government who by default, loves to procrastinate. And we Indians, know that better.

Delhi Rape Case: "She Deserved it" ?

Ours is a nation where a rape occurs every 22 minutes. And only 25% of the reported rapists get convicted.

As usual, there is a huge public outcry about the Delhi rape case. MP Jaya Bachchan speaking out loud about the case, and about the victim, ".. while the media and press will forget this incident in weeks, months, the girl is scarred for life." MP Ram Jethmalani said, "If you want the Capital (of India) to be crime-free, then first take out the biggest criminal out of the Capital: Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar."

This case has opened up a Pandora's box: from the way a woman dresses, to whether or not she should go out with male friends to watch movies at 8PM, to the police system in India that actually promotes crime, to the way men treat women as sex objects to the loose legal fabric in India concerning rape and molestation to Bollywood women gyrating to sleazy songs that actually encourage men to see women as nothing but objects of sex.

This Reuters blog post caught my attention. Why is there a huge outcry about the cultural values of Indian woman? What kind of a country can have the moral right to even question this? The kind of country that makes a heroine out of porn stars (Sunny Leone)? The kind of people who will make super-stars out of people like Katrina Kaif that have zero acting capabilities but huge tits? The kind of people who flock to the theatres to watch movies just because of item songs? Will these people determine how a woman should dress-up and whether or not she must watch movies with a male friend or not? Or will they decide if she should have a boyfriend? Will they decide when to punish her for her "indulgence"?

Not all women are fueled by insecurity to dress less and show more skin to attract more movies, more money and more fame, or even more guys. A woman could dress up to feel beautiful. Is this the way to appreciate a woman's physical beauty? If the entire society has no problem with pre-marital sex, who stands up and says that the girl should not have stepped out to watch movies with a male friend or acquaintance? Why the pretense?

Then there's the curious case of the involvement of police officers in their areas. A police officer, is by default, the image of power to common people like us. In Delhi, this is the "system": Walk in to a police station, place 50 grands on the table and tell the cop that you're going to murder someone. There won't be a FIR against you.

And let's say you the aggrieved party, you'll discover that most cops across Maharashtra (the most law and orderly state in the country) do not know how to draft a FIR. Cops in Mumbai do not know the difference between a FIR and NCR (Non-Cognizable Report). This is based out of my own personal experience from cops and courts and all things dirty.

It seems that Ram Jethmalani indeed has a point. Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit and Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar are to be blamed. Over the past couple of days, some people in my interaction have come to believe that the Indian society needs to adopt the Deterrent Type of Punishment: In the areas where a rape has occurred, publicly shoot the head inspector. The next person who occupies that office, will be scared. As far as the men (lack of a better word) who rape and think they can get away with it, are concerned, they must be publicly castrated or shot. At India Gate.

I have personally never been able to reason to myself if I support death penalty, or if I would endorse a gory punishment - even to those who deserve it. Perhaps it is the stupid romantic in me. There are some who said that they would want to set themselves on fire right in front of the President of India's residence - just to convey the thought that a life of a basic integrity in this country is so impossible.

Who are the real culprits? We are. We take it lying down.

"Where you live should not decide/ Whether you live/ or Whether you Die...
Three to a Bed/ Sister Ann she says/ Dignity Passes By...."
- U2