Finally the 16th December rape case verdict of the innocent young girl "Nirbhaya" is out and its none other than capital punishment for the 4 barbaric animals. As the furore about this specific case abates and therefore I took some time to reflect back of what we achieved out of it? Is their a lesson we as a society learned? Is their a message of fear being sent out of this judgement? In hindsight, these are some of the questions that we should now think and search for answers! Let me share my views on these thoughts.
Firstly, What we did achieve out of it is: Their is a nation / society wide recognition of crime against women. This sort of anger was never visible on such a large scale. At least this incident has shaken us bottom-up and made us realize that it can happen to our sisters, mothers and wife.
Secondly, about the message of fear: I doubt if it has gone (un) intended sense because rapes keep happening (today's being latest of a 5 year old in Bangalore) at almost the same pace. The problem is the tardy pace of trials that happens within the current judicial system and not with the laws i.e. the problem is not with the medicine but in administering the medicine. We have had 40+ times more capital punishment cases for murders but murders haven't stopped and neither will rapes, like this.
What I feel is that "Nirbhaya" was a too important of a crises to be wasted without learning the lessons and actionizing them but we seem to have done precisely that.The need of the hour was to conduct a nation wide campaign to make women aware of the right for speedy justice in such crimes and whom/how they can approach in case such a thing (god forbid) happens to them, what are the point of contact, whom to escalate in terms of govt. machinery, politicians, media and all the channels but WE HAVE LOST THIS CHANCE.
I feel sad about this state of affairs. We keep fighting about petty comments made about religion but no one says a word when ADB provides advisory to its women delegates about Indian men getting provoked seeing bare legs in the capital of the country. Isn't this shameful for us that an international body while holding conference in India issues such an advisory? Isn't it a sorry state of affairs for women in a country where we worship them in the form of Goddess Durga and Goddess Saraswati ?
Before I finish, let me share a thought what I heard from my mother on Friday (the day the verdict was out). She wanted to celebrate the hanging of the 4 men (#NameAndShame) who got death sentence to which I objected and made her understand that human life is sacred and killings need not be celebrated.
Friends, lets get serious and not be in a rush of blood. Lets not get the anger abated which aroused out of this tragic deliberate crime committed in capital of the country and do our bit. Lets make this incident count.
May Nirbhaya rest in peace.
