Trigger Warning: Rape, Gangrape
A horrifying incident shook the country a few weeks back. Before the public gains outrage and questions the incident, the news is no longer “news”. There are many more instances of heinous crime against women which have whizzed right past. As I write this, a rape case is making the headlines, and before we can even initiate a dialogue, the news has vanished in thin air.
First of all, why do we forget such instances? Are we that insensitive? Secondly, as women, we are taught about good touch and bad touch, how to fight it and tell our parents about it, but then what? What if we fail in fighting it? What if I don’t have the physical strength to fight? What if I hear, “Par beta fight toh karna hi chahiye tha kuch bhi ho”. (You must have fought, come what may)
The answer to the first question is no, you and I are not so insensitive, but did this incident receive the amount of attention and care that it truly deserved? Was this incident talked about on large platforms so that it could impose pressure on agencies?
I used to think when instances like rape received limelight, every citizen supported the victim/survivor and stood united. But, here, caste has more importance than her life. I was not shocked to see the difference of opinion. Why did the caste of this young girl and the alleged rapist pop up in the scene?
She was brutally gang-raped, yet, what caught attention was the action taken against the family of the victim by the bureaucracy. Yes, you and I are sensitive enough to speak up on this, but clearly, the government can’t fathom dissent.
Every incident, where government and citizens should be standing together, becomes nothing but a political mockery. As Kurt Vonnegut said, “We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.”