In a land
where the majority of people, by faith, believe in Female God and her powers
being no less than that of the Male God’s - as a philosophy and mythology, the
rampant rapes of women represent one of the many paradoxes of India. The
country that aspires to be anointed as a global Super Power is today woefully
listed as one of the least safe for women.
The first
week of December was particularly traumatic for most Indians as two women
living in two different corners of the country were raped and burnt alive by
their tormentors. In Hyderabad, 27-year old veterinarian died at the hands of
four men who waylaid her as she was waiting for help for her scooter’s flat
tyre on city outskirts; she was gang-raped and burnt alive. On the other hand, the
next day, a woman who was raped in UP’s Unnao a year ago, was attacked and set
ablaze by her rapist and his four friends. The gutsy woman survived with
grievous injuries and spilt the beans about her attackers who wanted to stop
her from deposing against her rapist in a court of law on that day.
The
spine-chilling details about how the Hyderabad woman had called her sister on
mobile to convey that she feared danger from the men around her on a lonely
stretch and it happened soon after broke the myth about South India being a
safer place for women and also led to a huge outrage.
The rape
epidemic took yet another grisly turn when the Telangana police responded to
the outrage and cries for rapists’ blood by killing the four accused in wee
hours of December 6, a day after they had been arrested on the basis of their
identification through CCTV footage. The police version that they threw stones
on them and tried to escape from the scene of the crime, where they were taken
for investigation, and were killed in retaliation is being taken with a pinch
of salt and yet people don’t want to raise the issue.
The story
looks not so credible and yet people celebrated the killings by showering rose
petals on policemen involved in the shootout shows the public unrest over the
increasing crime of rapes across the country. Even the family members of the
rape victims applauded the Telangana police for summary justice as against the
normal torturous and protracted judicial process for justice. The mother of
‘Nirbhaya’, a Delhi medico who was brutally gang-raped in a moving bus seven
years ago and later died, congratulated the Telangana police for doing the
right thing.
According to
the National Crimes Bureau annual report in 2017, in all 32,559 rapes were
reported across India. Madhya Pradesh has recorded the highest number of rape
cases at 5,562 cases followed by Uttar Pradesh. Delhi continued to retain the
dubious distinction of being the rape capital of India with 13,096 reported
cases even after a decline from previous years after several measures taken up
for women’s safety.
In India, the
unabated rape culture despite the plethora of stringent laws is related to the
traditions of honour and misogyny associated with women’s roles. The law
enforcement agencies being part of the same society often don’t show due
sensitivity and response to the crimes against women as is expected of them. In
this context the Verma Committee set up in the wake of 2012 nationwide outrage
following rape and death of ‘Nirbhaya’ had given concrete ideas for sensitization
of the police and reforms in the education system to make gender issues part of
learning.
The policemen
who hail from the same patriarchal milieu continue to see the rape as a
deviation from the institution of family and not as a crime against an individual.
In the Hyderabad case, the police didn’t pay heed to the version of the sister
of the victim and took its sweet time to start a search for her. Likewise in
Unnao, the woman with some 60% burns walked about one kilometre to get help and
contact police as nobody came forward to help her because of the fear of
reprisals.
Manmohan
Singh’s government had lost a chance following the public nationwide protest
against rapes to overhaul the system. Though the Verma committee submitted a
thick report to the government, most of its recommendations were ignored. For
example, the committee has taken a stand against the death sentence for rapists
and yet the amended law has it. It had also placed several ideas for police and
educational reforms that have been brushed aside. Interestingly many people
feel that lawmakers too take the rape issues rather non-seriously and only do
lip service when the people are protesting. It was to play to the galleries
that Samajwadi MP Jaya Bachchan demanded in the Rajya Sabha, rather
prophetically, that the rapists (of Hyderabad vet) be killed publically.
The
lawmakers’ casual attitude stems from the fact that 233 MPs (43 per cent) of
the Lok Sabha have cases of serious crimes including rapes registered against
them. Some elected leaders have spoken outrageously on issues concerning
women’s safety. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Khattar said that use of jeans
and eating noodles was leading to rapes; a UP minister said crimes like rapes
were part of the society and even Lord Rama could not help. Such people only
perpetuate misogyny and oppose equality for women.
The rapes
reported are just tip of the iceberg; in remote areas and villages, the
disclosure about rape and sexual violence is still considered a shame for the
families and the onus to remain pure remains on the women. This keeps women in
quarantine; instead of boys being taught how to treat girls, the latter are
forced to curtail their movements lest she could be molested.
As the
government is unable to find definite ways to curb the rape culture, the
people’s patience is on a tipping point as was seen from the euphoric reaction
of people after the killing of four men, who, in the legal term, were only
suspects in a rape case. If they have been shot dead deliberately to appease
the public and also to send a strong message across, it’s giving rise to a
dangerous trend.
Also, the
image of India as a democracy and as a country for business and tourism takes a
major hit with such incidents. Several countries have issued advisories to
their citizens on being cautious about rapes in India.
