the atrocities against women

The other day I was watching the ‘Speed News’ in a television channel. Out of the 100 news headlines they telecasted, 22 were on the atrocities carried out on women in the country. “Two teen girls gang raped in a car by five men” , “A 27 year old woman jumped from fourth floor after being raped by three men” , “ A woman was raped and strangulated to death by her neighbour”. All these news had a 15 seconds appearance on the screen. It is so painful to see and hear such news items. These news items were supplemented by either showing the woman with the face blurred, or the men with their faces covered. That’s it. The news channel has done its job. The cops are busy doing their job like any other ordinary case. Some ‘lucky’ cops catch the culprits and the news item says, ‘alleged rapists’ and puts an end to it. They are alleged, because a lawyer has to prove the ‘occurrence of the act’ in the court and also that the caught offenders have ‘performed the act’. Which place on this earth are we living? Is the cost of the dignity of a woman is so low?

A woman goes through the trauma and putting it blunt, the fact is that the world keeps enjoying her plight. If at all the offenders are caught, they remain under trial for years together. Though it is beyond any understanding as to why the people in a room take the privilege of deciding whether the woman was raped or not, and if she was, whether the under trial were responsible for it or not? What a pity! Even if the strains of the semen on woman’s body, the story of torture on woman’s private parts make the case an open and shut case, the post trauma crowd makes it a case worth debating. The lawyers try their best to prove their skills and fight the case by hook or by crook. And while they keep doing that, the women in almost all parts of the country keep getting tortured. Because the offenders know, it is men’s world and they will always have the upper hand. For God’s sake! Are we really serious about crime against women? How can one Conquer the world when they are helpless in conquering their own desires?

We have such a beautiful hierarchy and people positioned at various responsible posts. Is anyone really worried? The area’s inspector, the police chief, the state police chief, the Home minister, the Sub Divisional Magistrate, the District Magistrate, the local Assembly representative, the Minsters, the Chief Minister, the lawyers, the judges, the Prime Minister, the President. Despite that, the atrocities continue like a routine job. Like someone photocopying a page and people least bothered. If seriousness is to be ensured, the police should catch the culprits within 48 hours, file a case next day, and the court should wind up the case in a week. That’s it. Looks silly? Yes, as we are used to the rot spread around. Medical science and technology is so advanced now a days, that there will not be an iota of doubt as far as the crime is concerned.  Then why such drama and fooling around? No case should be heard more than three sittings and no two sittings should be more than two days apart.

It is really painful. We watch the news in TV and just tend to ignore it. Some torturous cases make to the headlines for few days and they too fade as time passes by. Only the victims remain with their trauma and pain thereafter, changing calendar after calendar to see when they will get the justice. The price of being a woman! The society just sympathises and moves forward. After all she is not our mother, our sister, our daughter or our close relative.

Recently, one of my friend’s father who happened to be a District Magistrate, while watching the epic Mahabharata on TV and the Draupadi’s Cheer Haran (disrobing) scene exclaimed, “What type of people are these? They don’t have any shame? A woman is being disrobed in a King’s court, in front of the courtiers, the ministers, the King, the country’s head and the who’s and who’s of the country and they are quiet?” I looked at him and thought in my mind, “He himself is like a king of a district. How many women has he saved? How many women, he helped in getting justice? How has he ensured that no one is being disrobed like Draupadi?” This is what is happening all around. Daily, there are thousands of women being disrobed, being humiliated, being assaulted, being killed, and we like blind Dhritarashtra tend to ignore them. The Bhismas, the Dronacharayas, the Viduras, all are present but helpless. They see things happening like incapable and inefficient dumb, blind, deaf, toothless and handicapped persons and boast of being powerful.

One of the Chief Minister of a state claimed, “We have build this highway, we have distributed free gadgets to youths.” What the hell? What did you do for the safety and justice of women? A helpline? No state or country in the world can prosper if the women in that state or the country are not respected. The luxuries, the infrastructure, the amenities, all are just waste, if we do not focus on the issues related to women. If the local police can’t stop atrocities, the police chief is answerable, the District head, the state head, the country’s head is responsible and answerable. After being on earth for so long, we cannot leave each and every issue especially the women related to the God!

So, is there any real powerful men left on earth?

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