During my high school years, I heard a proverb which somewhat went like this, “the luckiest man in the world is the man who has a Japanese job, an American salary, a German car and an Indian wife”. I guess this is how the world generally views and perceives Indian women. Indian women are generally considered as being gentle, feminine, dignified, honorable and respectable. However, this was certainly not what was meted out to the 23 year old physiotherapy trainee by a bunch of cold blooded men in a moving bus in Delhi on the night of 16th December 2012. This young woman with her male friend had boarded a bus in South Delhi to go home after watching a movie. In the bus, six men assaulted her and her male friend, raped her brutally and threw them out of the bus naked on this chilly December night.
According to the ancient Mayan calendar, the world was supposed to come to its end in December 2012. Of course, this prediction did not come true because we are already witnessing the dawn of 2013 A.D. However, for many people who heard the tragic and horrific accounts of what this young woman had to undergo at the hands of those sexual predators in that bus on that fateful night of 16th December, the world had indeed come to and end. This is so because what was done to this young medical student and her friend that night defies all human logic, reason and conscience.
If we take a look at India’s history, we can see that Indian women had always been made to have a low-key existence under the shadow and image of the men-folk. Down the centuries, the position and status of Indian women had always been subjected to the whims and fancies of their men-folk. Evil practices like Sati, child marriage, female infanticide and the Dowry system adorned the history of India for centuries and these practices are a testimony to what Indian women were subjected to in their own society. Even though the practice of Sati is long gone, harassment of women for dowry is still widely prevalent through out the length of breadth of India even in this 21st century. Similarly, cases of child-marriage have also been reported on and off even now.
Even though the constitution of Independent India clearly and loudly states that these outrageous and unreasonable practices would not be tolerated anymore in the new Bharat, the attitudes and mentality of many still have not changed. First, there is the ‘patti parmeshwar’ attitude where a wife is expected to consider and respect her husband as if he is God. This attitude is still very much prevalent in the hearts of many Indian men, families and societies.
Secondly, there is the ‘Laksman-Rekha’ attitude. It was in the legendary story of the Ramayana that Laksman drew the boundary line for Sita which she was not supposed to cross lest evil befalls her. From this story comes the ‘Laksman Rekha’ attitude which is still very much a part and parcel of Indian society. This attitude says that there is a certain limit which women are not supposed to cross and if they do so they would be punished severely. This is the reason why we often hear cases of women being stripped naked and paraded across towns and villages, cases of women being gang-raped in full public view and acids being thrown on their faces. These are usually done to them by someone who feels that the women are crossing the ‘Laksman-Rekha’ boundary. Attitudes like the ‘patti-parmeshwar’ and the ‘Laksman Rekha’ are something which are totally unique to Indian society, culture and mentality and still very much active.
According to available statistics, it is said that a woman in raped in India every 20 minutes. And this statistics are most probably based on the reported cases of rapes. Thus, if we take into account the unreported cases as well, the figure could be much higher. It is also uncomfortable and disturbing to know that rape is the fastest growing crime in India.
We now live in an age where unlimited pornography is available at the tip of our fingers and some people have opined that the wide-spread and easy availability of pornography could be a reason for the high rate of crimes against women. This is a subject of debate and argument. There is a saying in English which goes, ‘don’t shoot the messenger’. To totally ban or forbid the sale and consumption of pornography would be literally impossible because we all know that nothing sells like sex. Even if the authorities want to ban or prohibit pornography, their efforts or success would be only short-lived because, one way or the other, someone would somehow always find a way to make these reach us and our bedrooms. Moreover, with the internet and computers now a part of our everyday lives, to fight a successful fight against the consumption of pornography certainly does not seem real and practical. Nevertheless, some restraints and cautions have to be maintained by both the authorities and the consumers – especially when it comes to the minors and juveniles.
It also needs to be understood clearly that there is a big difference between viewing pornography and trying to carry out those fantasies and imaginations on someone or at the cost of somebody else’s lives. As long as a person keeps his sexual fantasies to himself and his bedroom, the society has not much to interfere. However, no civil society would tolerate anyone trying to execute these beastly acts on someone else by force without their consent.
This is so because human beings are not animals and we have been endowed with the power to know the difference between right and wrong and also with the power of self-control. It ultimately is a question of ‘mind over matter’. Because if God has given us the urge and craving for sex, He has also given us the power to control it and use it in its true and purposeful way for the glory of both man and God.
Rapes take place all over the world but cases of women being raped inside moving vehicles is something which has become notoriously unique to Delhi. And the 16th December incident is not the first time something of this nature has happened. Rapes inside moving vehicles have been happening over and over again in Delhi at regular intervals. I wonder what would be the reaction of the world if a young woman is raped inside a moving car or bus in a city like New York, Paris or London.
One of the reasons which perhaps encourage criminals (including sexual offenders) to commit crimes in Delhi is probably the close proximity that Delhi shares with highly populated and fast growing areas like Gurgaon and Noida. These areas were just villages in the pre Independence era. But after 1947, these localities grew and developed at an alarming rate because of their close proximity with the national capital. Moreover, Delhi also shares close borders with populated and developed states like UP, Punjab, Haryana etc. Therefore many criminals probably feel that they can easily disappear into these populated areas without a trace after committing barbaric acts inside Delhi territory.
With frequent rapes inside moving vehicles taking place on the streets of Delhi, the wide and smooth roads of Delhi have also come under scanner. The roads and streets of Delhi are not only wide and smooth but they are also many in numbers with many shortcuts, diversions and bypasses which are mostly known only to the taxi and auto drivers. For a newcomer or an outsider living in Delhi, it is almost impossible to actually figure out these roads and streets. The roads and streets of Delhi become familiar to only those who have spent 5 or more years in the city. Moreover, the streets of Delhi usually wear a deserted look by 9:30 / 10:00 pm. Thus these polished streets of Delhi become a devil’s paradise at night for some sexual predators who would go to any extent to have a thrilling sexual experience even at the cost of somebody else’s lives.
Now, coming back to the horrific 16th December incident, the six perpetrators of this horrific crime deserve the greatest condemnation from all quarters. They have been charge-sheeted with not only rape but also robbery, murder and even sodomy. This incident has once again reminded us all that Delhi is still a dangerous place for women.
The Delhi police have been complimenting itself by saying that it did a great job by arresting all the six culprits within 48 hours. But why do the Delhi police need to pat its own back? Was it not the responsibility of the Delhi police in the first place to prevent the occurrence of such barbaric crimes on its streets? Some questions that need answers are:
1) Where was the Delhi police when a Deluxe bus with tinted glasses and curtains was plying illegally on it streets?
2) Was the Delhi police unaware about the Supreme Court order banning the usage of tinted glasses on vehicles?
3) Where was the Delhi police when two young people were lying naked and bloodied in one of its streets on the night of 16th December 2012?
4) Why did these two young people have to wait 25 crucial minutes before the police finally arrive?
5) Did the police not know that for a dying person, every second and every minute counts?
6) Was it not the responsibility of the Delhi police to regularly patrol its deserted streets at night instead of just waiting for emergency calls in their warm control rooms?
7) Why was the victim made to give her statement twice to the police when everybody knows that for a person who was so brutally assaulted, even one statement was more than enough?
The face and name of this unfortunate victim have not been revealed to the public in order to protect her family’s identity and privacy. It is said that she was so brutally assaulted that her entire intestine had to be taken out three days after she was admitted to the Safdarjung hospital. She ultimately passed away in a Singapore hospital on 29th December (13 days after the horrific incident). However, even though we do not know her face and name, the manner in which she survived these 13 days (16th – 29th December) has revealed that she was a fighter and a woman with great guts and determination. On the night of 16th December itself, she courageously gave her statement to the police at the hospital where she was admitted. It is said that she described the accounts of the tragic incident in great detail to the police despite the fact that she was coughing uncontrollably and shivering from cold. Even when someone advised her to take a break, she refused and boldly completed her statements by saying that the six culprits should be burnt alive. Even during her horrific 13 days ordeal in the hospital, she kept asking about the progress being made in the case against the six offenders even as she slipped in and out of consciousness. She even kept encouraging her mother not to worry and that everything would be okay. Thus even though she is faceless and nameless to us, it seems like she has been chosen by destiny to leave her mark upon her generation.
And as mentioned above, despite the fact that she had already described the incident in great detail to the police on the night of the assault itself, she was compelled to give her statement for a second time to the police for reasons best known to the Delhi police only. This behavior of the Delhi police has attracted condemnation from all quarters. However, for the brave girl, when she was asked to give her statement for the second time, she did so once again with all the strength and courage at her disposal. Thus, her fighting spirit has come as an encouragement and inspiration to many across the country. The media has already given her iconic names like ‘Nirbhaya’, ‘Damini’, ‘Braveheart’ and ‘India’s Daughter’.
In the wake of this 16th December incident, demands for stricter punishments for rapists have cropped up from all over the country. Capital punishments, 30 years rigorous imprisonment without parole, chemical castration, fast-tract courts to deal with rape cases, reduction of the age of juveniles etc are all welcomed propositions and suggestions. I believe all these will go a long way in acting as deterrents for potential sexual offenders.
We talk about the ‘patti parmeshwar’ and ‘laksman rekha’ attitudes, but what was done to this unfortunate young woman on that fateful night was not even an execution of these attitudes. The physiotherapy student and her male friend were certainly at the wrong place at the wrong time that night. And if it was not her, it could have been anybody else because the six offenders had everything planned in advance. The curtains in the bus, the tinted glasses and four of the accused acting as passengers are all testimony to their pre-planned sinister and satanic motives. Thus, it was actually a case of six criminal-minded and sexual perverts out in the Delhi streets with the intention to loot, rob, rape and murder without caring for the lives and sentiments of their fellow beings and citizens. In simple terms, it was sheer madness which has no place in a civilized society…….
