Shattered Hopes
Delhi is yet again in news for
the brutal gang rape of a 23-year old girl. This case has not only sparked
protests but also raised a national debate about violence against women in
India, largest democracy of world.
The gang rape triggered
nationwide demonstrations with protesters from all walks of life converging at
Raisina Hill, India Gate and Jantar Mantar, also in other parts of the country,
to protest against the heinous crime and seek speedy justice for the girl who
was interning as a physiotherapist at a Delhi hospital.
The fatal incident took place on
December 16th, 2012.
The victim, a 23-year-old
physiotherapy student and her male friend, were on their way home after
watching a movie in Saket in South Delhi. They boarded a bus that was being
driven by joyriders at about 9.30 pm. The woman became suspicious when the bus
deviated from its normal route and its doors were shut. When she objected, the
group of six men already on board taunted her. When the victim's friend tried
to intervene, he was beaten, gagged and knocked unconscious with an iron rod.
The men then dragged the woman to the rear of the bus beating her with the rod
and raping her while the bus drove. The bus kept circling a 31-kilometre
stretch in South Delhi, its tinted windows concealing the savagery within as it
rolled unstopped through a series of police checkpoints.
Medical reports later suggested
that the woman suffered serious injuries to her abdomen, intestines and
genitals due to assault and penetration using a blunt object suspected to be
the same rod. That rod was later described by police as being a rusted,
L-shaped implement of the type used with a wheel jack. After the beatings and
rape ended, the gang threw the two from the moving bus.
The woman and her companion were
found by a passer-by on the road, partially clothed and unconscious, around 11
pm. The passer-by phoned Delhi Police, who took them to hospital, where the
woman was given emergency treatment.
Today on 29th December’
2012 the victim succumbed to her injuries in Mount Elizabeth Hospital, Singapore
because of the multi-organ failure following serious injuries to her body and
brain. She died at 4:45 a.m. local time (2:15 a.m. Indian time). She was
earlier treated at the Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi.
The incident has brought two
things in focus- first the protest demonstrations in different parts of India
and second our age old laws that lack any concrete system to curb heinous crime like
these.
Central
Delhi were closed down today for an indefinite period as a precautionary
measure by Delhi Police to prevent agitators from reaching India Gate to
protest the death of the gang-rape victim. While the Government has turned
Central Delhi into a fortress once again, reimposing Section 144, shutting 10
metro stations and blocking roads leading to India Gate, Delhi is back on the
streets for silent protests. People do not want violence but they want to let
the administration know that they are not going to take it lying down anymore.
The nation will pay homage to the
23-year-old Delhi gang rape victim. But beyond that customary homage, the need
of the hour is to give justice to her and punish the culprits.
Though the government has
promised to amend criminal laws to include the death penalty for extreme cases
of sexual assault, will it be implemented or not will be proved in the time to
come.
A movement that gets the government to initiate a
system where such crimes do not happen is the need of the hour. Let’s stop
debating over the pros and cons of the death penalty as a deterrent of crime
and, instead, compel the system to give out speedy justice to such victims.
As for the government, instead of merely going
into alarm mode against expected protests, it should cultivate honesty of
intention in tackling crime.
This incident yet again exposed
the growing violence in our society and a lack of an administrative system
which can curb such criminal activity through simple measures like a
transparent and honest transport department, screening of drivers of public
transport, vigilant police and technology that can keep track of anti-social
elements.
As a population let’s be the
monitors which have the ability to curb crime not just at the legal level but
also at homes as parents, in schools as teachers and in society in general as a
sensitive citizenry. The well sought after practical initiative is required from
our government, who have been quite busy in blame game, beating around the bush
and using these events for their political endeavors.
The photos of this post are not clicked by me.
