The gang rape and death of a 23-year-old-physiotherapy student has sparked an outpouring of national grief and outrage and posed many questions such as, - “Are women safe in the largest democracy of the world?”, “What is the status of the women in the Indian society?”, “Why is that rape cases are increasing every year?”, “Do rape victims treated importantly by the Indian Police?”, “Are there any stringent law which can serve as deterrent for preventing rapes?”, and most important now, “Will this tragedy promptly change law and attitudes toward women?”.
India has more unreported cases of rapes and deaths than cases lodged in the police complaint books. According to an estimated there are about 100000 rape cases pending in the different courts of India. The unreported cases could be somewhat ten times more than this. Most of the unreported cases do not come into the light because of the shame and social stigma created by the male dominated society at large. The victims or the kin of the victims do not really approach media or the police for such cases. Among the brutal cases when the victims life is in danger it is brought to the attention of the police and police instead of helping the victims poses thousands of negative questions to discourage them to lodge the case. Most of the rapes cases are lodged by the police only when media is sensitize and show some activity, otherwise victims keep hanging in police stations and their cases never get registered.
The reason being Indian police are well aware about the crime and they are well tipped by the criminals in advance not to register these cases. Somehow if the cases are registered, the criminals influence the court and buy the witnesses. Don’t forget, among the people who are involved in the rapes, are mostly spoiled brats of rich and powerful persons of the society. The cases such as the recent one is an example of corrupt police administration which allows anything and everything to happen under their nose by the hooligans, goons, and lecherous individuals who understand that they can get away by paying bribe to the police even if they are caught. Indian Police is more known to free criminals than to punish them. What matters for them is the bribe. Even to registered rape cases they collect bribe from the victims.
Look at the other dimensions, in an outrage when people came out of their home protesting against the most heinous crime of gang raping and murdering the victims, the people who are in the power capital does tongue slinging and passing undeserving remarks to the protesting women. This was none other than son of the first citizen of the country and president of India and a responsible citizen in the form of Member of Parliament. This was not only the remark but the thought and attitude of male in the Indian society. There are various other politicians who have been reiterating against the women time and again irrespective of understanding that they too have women in their life and they need respect them. So, when they do not respect their own women, how can they respect other women in the society?
The rape and torture of the women in the society is the outcome of the perceived mindset of the male protagonist who plays brutal and oppressive role against women. The women have to listen to the dictates of this male dominated society. All morale and values are for women and men can do anything.
The recent rape case brought into the public eye a threat to women's security that is at odds with India's image of itself as a modernizing nation that is striving to provide equal opportunity to all its citizens. Even after the news spreading in media throughout the country about this case, there is yet another reported case of rape came into the light and who knows there could be many cases not known to us. India is the largest democracy.
India is a democracy but some are more equals than the other, that’s why laws will not be made such stiff which can affect so called more equals. The law makers will not make it harsh which serve as deterrent. We, in fact, send our representative in parliament to make our society better but they see everything through their own lenses.
These six men who have been nabbed for the crime would be punished, they may get capital punishment too, but will the Indian mindset change towards women is the bigger question.
Around three decades back due brother and sister, Sanjay Chopra and Geeta Chopra, were murdered by then DTC bus driver and conductor in another evening. While finding them lonely in the bus, the driver and conductor tried to molest and rape the sister but the brother fought valiantly. The culprits, Ranga and Billa, were caught and hanged till death. People thought that will serve as deterrent for the rapist. But the statistics have shown so far the different pictures only.
If as a society we are to avoid such cases we need to respect our women and change attitude towards them. We can make kind of society we want. But if the present mindset continues we all will find culprits among ourselves who sees women as commodity to use and throw.
