Beyond the #DelhiGangRape

I had written about it earlier here

So the verdict is out - Death sentence for the 4 rapists in the Delhi Gang Rape. At first when I heard it I was elated and in a way, felt satiated...like a long lost battle been won. I am not a propagator of violence or tit for tat but as a girl , looking at the atrocities they carried out they deserve it, in all fairness.

However, in the later part of the day when I read the whole judgement , I found it so futile. And my reaction was - they still have a way to escape out or at least to evade the sentence for the time being.This is NOT the final verdict. They can go to the higher courts and even if rejected from there, they can then plead to the President. All this will take ages! 

Read this article

"It will be automatically referred to a high court bench of two judges who will consider the sentence and the appeal that lawyers for the four men have said they will file.If upheld, an appeal to the supreme court is also possible. The Indian president can pardon offenders. Such a process would be likely to take several years"

Indian Legal system is so dheela and complex! I mean if most appeals can go to the higher courts , what's the point of the lower ones?? They seem just for time pass! The so called "Fast Track" court took good 8 months to come to a conclusion - everything was crystal clear , the victim had given her statement before dying, there was an eye witness to the whole incident , the culprits had admitted their crime. All this was there but still the legal system took so much time. And the point that should be noted is that this one was an exceptional one - it had all the media glare. Yet, looking at the timespan taken for this first level jurisdiction, I have serious doubts on the entire system.

And though I am happy that such rare of the rarest punishment will send strong signals to all the rowdies who take women and girls as a toy to play with still I have my doubts. The other day I was thinking that though media has been claiming that this rape case was about the futures an exceptional one and doctors have been saying that they have never seen such brutalities, I am sure there is much worse than has been done on Indian Women. The only thing is - it has not come into light. In the suburbs and remote areas, atrocities are carried out on family members itself. I have been reading so many shocking incidents - one of them being that the husband wanted to have s** and the wife refused so he did it with their 6 year old daughter! SHAME! 

And most of the cases that I have heard - the culprits have been under the influence of Alcohol! People who will not buy in to this fact would be the ones who themselves consume Liquor! Read these 3 articles to understand how Alcohol triggers such acts!

Consumed Alcohol, wanted to have some fun

Alcohol and Rape : The Connection

Guys, you have to understand that if you do it as  a part of social drinking, they do it daily as a part of their life! Many have regretted doing such crimes when they come out of that " high" state. It is sad to see where our country is heading. Smoking, drinking, doping is being considered "cool" and "trendy". Our country badly needs spirituality - where people meditate and become aware of their mind and have that calm state - free of lust and greed.

Few days back I was coming back at 10.30 pm in Auto and I was just 5-7 minutes away from reaching my place, when 3 boys ( i guess in XIIth) came on a scooty and saw me alone in the auto and tried to kind of scare me . I shifted a little inside in the Auto only because you never know they may be mad people carrying acid. My shifting inside was taken as their victory and they seemed so elated! And then there was a red light. I was annoyed to the core - in my own area these bachas are trying to scare me? I told the Auto guy to stop if they come again and I kept 100 number on dial mode , ready to press the green button if I see them coming again. I had no fear since it was my locality. I would have taken them to task and noted the scooty number and gone to their parents and asked - is this why you give them vehicle? There is no tab that you keep on them? They were kiddos but i am sure they would be doing it daily with many and had got kind of habitual and also fearless in this activity since no one would have said anything till now. Unfortunately they didn't come back.

But - this incident stuck me hard. I shuddered to think of a day when I would be unsafe in my own locality. When i would lose my independence to walk out, hang out and work freely. It has become one of my worst nightmares.

With all my sincere heart, I pray that the youth of today get on the right track and realize the essence of life. Indulgence in Non veg, smoking and boozing will take them no where! But spirituality definitely will!

Swati