One of the most heinous gang-rapes and savage assaults in India took place in the nation's capital on Sunday. The mass protests across the country against the inhuman brutality and violence against a hapless 23-year old woman by six men in a moving bus shook the generally callous political class and the apathetic police. The outpouring of public anger has been unprecedented and the people, particularly the young women and men, having felt that " enough is enough " , demanded bobbitization, castration, stoning to death, and hanging in public of the rapists. That is the mood of the angry nation.
One rape takes place every twenty-two minutes in India according the NCRB. These are only registered cases and the actual number of rapes would be very high because many rape victims and their families do not report to the police for fear of social stigma as well as fear of police. Police stations generally are not safe places for women. A rape victim's father took his daughter to a hotel room on the advice of a police officer to record her statement in privacy in order to protect her identity; but at the hotel room the father had to witness the police officer raping his daughter.Most policemen lack gender sensitivity and have sexist bias. Many of our political leaders are no better. Recently one leader said that "most of the rapes are consensual acts". The CM of West Bengal had no hesitation to brush aside a horrendous rape in Park Street as a political conspiracy to malign her reputation. Those in power, who have the duty to protect our girls and women, often blame them for "inviting rapes " on them. Instead of protecting the women they protect their predators.
Rape is an intentional act of crime for sexual gratification without concern for social norms and the laws of the land.Rape cannot be treated as a psychiatric aberration because a psychiatric patient will not commit a rape. Rape is also not an animal behaviour as animals do not rape the female species. It is only the human male who commits such a horrific criminal violation of the female body and mind. For instance, is the man in Paravoor ( Kerala ), who raped his fourteen-year old daughter and forced her into flesh trade , psychiatrically ill ? NOT AT ALL. He is a hardened criminal . But he was convicted only for seven years imprisonment. There is an increasing chorus from the people for death penalty for rapists. Convicts are awarded death sentence only by applying the " rarest of rare " principle of criminal justice. But death sentences are kept in abeyance for many years awaiting clemency . Former President Pratibha Patil's action of commuting death sentence to life imprisonment of some convicts received adverse reaction. Men who raped and killed a five-year old and a six-year old respectively were allowed to escape the noose through the Presidential pardon. The death sentences often become " state protection ".
Rapists, child abusers ,and habitual eve teasers should be given exemplary punishment such as chemical castration , long term rigorous imprisonment , jail sentence till the end of the life , and death penalty depending on the gravity of the crime. Recruitment of a large number of women in the police force, protective policing , scientific and speedy investigation ,and early sentence to be enforced within a brief time - frame . Otherwise , as the Delhi High Court cautioned ,PEOPLE WILL LOSE FAITH IN THE POLCE AND THE JUDICIARY .
One rape takes place every twenty-two minutes in India according the NCRB. These are only registered cases and the actual number of rapes would be very high because many rape victims and their families do not report to the police for fear of social stigma as well as fear of police. Police stations generally are not safe places for women. A rape victim's father took his daughter to a hotel room on the advice of a police officer to record her statement in privacy in order to protect her identity; but at the hotel room the father had to witness the police officer raping his daughter.Most policemen lack gender sensitivity and have sexist bias. Many of our political leaders are no better. Recently one leader said that "most of the rapes are consensual acts". The CM of West Bengal had no hesitation to brush aside a horrendous rape in Park Street as a political conspiracy to malign her reputation. Those in power, who have the duty to protect our girls and women, often blame them for "inviting rapes " on them. Instead of protecting the women they protect their predators.
Rape is an intentional act of crime for sexual gratification without concern for social norms and the laws of the land.Rape cannot be treated as a psychiatric aberration because a psychiatric patient will not commit a rape. Rape is also not an animal behaviour as animals do not rape the female species. It is only the human male who commits such a horrific criminal violation of the female body and mind. For instance, is the man in Paravoor ( Kerala ), who raped his fourteen-year old daughter and forced her into flesh trade , psychiatrically ill ? NOT AT ALL. He is a hardened criminal . But he was convicted only for seven years imprisonment. There is an increasing chorus from the people for death penalty for rapists. Convicts are awarded death sentence only by applying the " rarest of rare " principle of criminal justice. But death sentences are kept in abeyance for many years awaiting clemency . Former President Pratibha Patil's action of commuting death sentence to life imprisonment of some convicts received adverse reaction. Men who raped and killed a five-year old and a six-year old respectively were allowed to escape the noose through the Presidential pardon. The death sentences often become " state protection ".
Rapists, child abusers ,and habitual eve teasers should be given exemplary punishment such as chemical castration , long term rigorous imprisonment , jail sentence till the end of the life , and death penalty depending on the gravity of the crime. Recruitment of a large number of women in the police force, protective policing , scientific and speedy investigation ,and early sentence to be enforced within a brief time - frame . Otherwise , as the Delhi High Court cautioned ,PEOPLE WILL LOSE FAITH IN THE POLCE AND THE JUDICIARY .
No comments:
Post a Comment