Abdullah Mustafvi
“Rape is a more heinous crime than murder since the rape victim dies throughout the period she lives.”
(Amit Abraham)
In the late hours of night, a young mother who has just been through the twilight period of life and death while giving birth to a child undergoes another trauma. Her body which is yet not relieved from the pains and sweat of delivery is assaulted by a monster in a hospital in posh city of Haryana, India. Ironically, the poor victim had delivered through a major caesarean operation and was kept in intensive care unit. Patients in intensive care units are monitored round the clock by qualified doctors and a rape under such a vigil raises many questions on World’s biggest democracy.
She was raped. Not if she was drunk. Not if she was naked. Not if she was wearing provocative dress. Not if she was a sex worker. Not if she was disabled. Her only fault was that she lived in a country whose social fiber has been sold to the hands of extremists. Such incidents frequently become headlines in Indian media. In the recent past, rape of an Afghan woman in an Indian posh hospital right in the capital Delhi became news in domestic and foreign media. The unfortunate woman was accompanying her mother in the hospital.
Rape is the fourth most common crime in India. According to the Indian National Crime Records Bureau 2013 annual report, 24,923 rape cases were reported across India in 2012. The unreported cases by a rough estimate can be double of this figure. Compared to other developed and developing countries, rates of reported rape per 100,000 people are quite high in India. New Delhi, the country’s capital has the highest number of rape cases among Indian cities. Why is it happening in a country which not only claims but also showcases that it is the greatest democracy on face of earth? India has a peculiar way of relating or more accurately non-relating to rape maybe because it is so vicious and chooses to live in denial about it merely to hoodwink the World.
Rape is the fourth most common crime in India. According to the Indian National Crime Records Bureau 2013 annual report, 24,923 rape cases were reported across India in 2012. Compared to other developed and developing countries, rates of reported rape per 100,000 people are quite high in India. According to 2012 statistics, New Delhi has the highest number of rape reports among Indian cities, while Jabalpur has the highest per capita rate of rape reports.
States often make lofty claims to support equality of gender and protection of women’s rights with no credible actions. The statistics of women rape may vary from country to country depending upon score of factors comprising quality of governance, religious practices, culture, state policies and the priority of economic development programmes over defence spending. Unfortunately, India, a so called largest democracy on the globe and a big claimant of gender equality continues remaining a nightmare for every urban as well as rural woman.
There are comprehensive International laws, cultural rules and state legislations relating to protection to womenfolk against abuses like rape in every country including India. Despite international commitment, availability of comprehensive legislations and loud public voices, India, has totally failed in controlling the ever growing evil of rape from her soil. This failure is not by chance but by design. The underlying reasons for this failure can easily be identified in many factors ranging from religious taboos to cultural practices, weak governance to fanatic Hindutva centric state policies, indifferent attitudes of political leaders to suppressed public voices and so on. In India, agony of women is not that her complaints against rape are not attended; it is rather the weak legal system which in turn blames the victim herself. The practice of onus of proof is supported by Hindu religion itself. It can be seen in Hindu religious scriptures. Ramayn, Hindu religious and epic book narrates that Ram’s wife Sita was kidnapped by Sri Lankan king “Ravan” for sexual pleasure. After Ram’s victory over Ravan, despite being a godess herself, Sita had to to prove her chastity by going to an ordeal titled “agni parksha” (solemn on fire). Similarly, Hindus adore and worship “Shiv Ling” (male sexual organ) to pay respect to god “Shiva” (one of the god of the trinity concept) who once raped Parvati (Hindu goddess). The worship is carried out publically. There is no other divine or non divine religion in the World which allows such brazen practices.
Rapist intensive Indian society is not only targeting Indian women, rather foreigners, tourists and Hindu pilgrims from other countries have become equally vulnerable to this atrocious crime. In 2015, five men were arrested in Kolkata and charged for raping a Japanese tourist. Police said the men operated as a gang and targeted single Japanese tourist. Similarly, an Uber taxi driver was charged with sexually assaulting a passenger. The incident that became international news was the rape of a woman by five men on a bus in 2012. Poor victim later died of internal injuries. Off late, on 24 March 2015, a minor Hindu girl from Ghotki, Sindh, Pakistan was molested in India by Police Officer Anand Gidde, who was working on Pakistan desk for Foreigners Registration Office in Puma. According to credible reports, the girl’s family was approached by RAW officials to cooperate in carrying out terrorist activities in Sindh. On refusal, their minor daughter had to face the torment of rape. Later, Anand Gidde, the rapist managed a bail before arrest. Due to soaring number of rape cases against foreigners, many countries frequently have issued travel advisories to their citizens to exercise extreme caution against rape even when traveling in groups.
National Crime Records Bureau of India reveals that a crime against a woman is committed every three minutes, a woman is raped every 29 minutes. The reports also suggest that, in every rape incident, the perpetrator of the crime is either a Hindu person or some fanatic. Hindutva centric forces overwhelmingly become proactive in committing rapes during communal violence targeting Muslim and Christian minority in India. Radical rapist, mostly fanatic Hindus do not spare even the old women. In one such heinous incident, in March 2015 an elderly 71-year-old nun was sexually abused in front of her other colleague nuns. The incident was widely reported by almost every international news agency.
Unfortunately, India at present is headed by a fanatic leader, whose extremist background is hidden from no one. Under his rule, India is fraught by resurgence of two identical tendencies of the past i.e. the growing Hindu radicalization and rising male chauvinism providing conducive environment to high rape rate. Both these phenomena are highly detrimental to human rights and security of womenfolk. Resultantly, rape is becoming the fastest growing crime in India. India must revisit her policies to improve socio-economic condition of her society by reviewing her priorities. Instead of draining the major portion of budget on defence just to meet hegemonic ambitions, some money may also be diverted for the welfare of poor masses. Unfortunately, this demand both from India as well as the international community is being given deaf ears by Modi’s Government.
