So far, I have refrained myself from writing about the more than horrendous gang rape of a 23 year old girl in a moving bus in Delhi. This reason for this is not only the fact that I am profoundly disturbed by the crime but also because of my earlier assumption that the guilty would be punished soon since such a horrendous crime is never ever heard in the country before. However, after government and Delhi Police’s monstrous attitude towards the protestors of this incident, it is no longer possible for me to stay quiet anymore!

Picture courtesy – ibtimes.com

First of all, the horrifically inhuman nature of the crime should have ensured massive changes in laws pertaining to rapes. If not this, there should have been at least some steps taken for the same. The current law states that a death penalty can be given only when the victim passes away. So should we wait till the poor girl succumbs? Even if the victim passes away, death penalty is given by just hanging the convict. For this type of a crime, death by hanging is a very mild punishment! It is not only denying justice but it also doesn’t put fright in the minds of potential rapists.

The biggest proof of this is how a 20 year old Nepali girl was raped thrice in Mumbai barely five days after the Delhi incident. Need I say more?

So when the whole of Delhi comes out to express protest (which is our constitutional right) for making laws stricter for such crimes, they have to face police brutality in the form of lathi charges, tear gas and water cannons. I agree there were a percentage of miscreants from various wings of political parties who started violence and vandalism but that doesn’t give license to the authorities to become brutal with all, especially students who have nothing to do with these groups. If you can’t catch a small percentage of troublemakers how justifiable it is to assume the rest of the protestors to be antisocial?

Picture courtesy – India Against Corruption Facebook page

Later on, the percentage of troublemakers increased but once you start brutally assaulting innocents, you can’t expect them to behave peacefully, especially when you employ Rapid Action Force! In fact, what stunned the nation with disbelief was how the policemen had no qualms in even bashing up senior citizens (See picture)! Seriously, can we really expect them to protect us?

Someone needs to tell them that they are not dealing with dacoits! These people haven’t gathered to loot the city. These are the common people of their own country who are just demanding terribly strict laws for rapes to secure the future of the women of India! Is the demand so irrational that they need to be dealt like criminals?

Facts also show how Anna Hazare and Arvind Kejriwal’s supporters have been subjected to similar treatments a number of times during their peaceful protests. On the other hand, political parties who openly engage in vandalism for their own good are never punished!

I wish the government and Delhi Police had shown such fierce dedication in protecting girls and women of the city. It’s just that the massive outrage have woken them up. But if they had woken up themselves, life of a lot of females in the city would have been much better and such a situation wouldn’t have arisen.

Picture courtesy – Associated Press