Political Diary
New Delhi, 7 March 2015
Political Veto
MUSCLING TO MASK
REALITY
By Poonam I Kaushish
Whither India?
Yesterday I saw Storyville: India’s
Daughter on the Delhi
vicious gang rape and murder by six men on 16 December 2012 on social networking
site You Tube like lakhs others. A powerful documentary made by a British film
maker which brutally and lucidly captures the ugly and painful reality of a
rape taking place every 20 minutes thanks to an archaic Indian male mentality which
raises vital issues on women’s freedom, dignity and safety. The bestiality of a
depraved mindset.
All hell broke lose
with the Home Ministry issuing a diktat not to broadcast it, the Delhi High
Court banned the film and the Bar Council of India issued a showcause notice to
an accused’s defence lawyer for his
assertion, “ There is no place for women in India.” Questionably, where did
they see the film?
More worrying is why
the Government wants to brush under the carpet the repellent and debauched
Indian attitude towards the female gender. Given that the documentary carries
extensive footage and interviews with Nirbhaya’s parents, unrepentant rapists
and their defense lawyers, police and women activists with the aim of examining
widely held attitudes toward women in the country.
Its blasé explanation of “being in the interests of justice and public order as
the film creates tension and fear amongst women” or that a convict’s appeal was
sub-judice just doesn’t cut ice. Perhaps, it has to do with the fact that most
of our netagan’s too think alike.
See their outrageous utterances: RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat
asserts, “Rape is a side-effect of westernization while Haryana Chief Minister
Khattar thinks, “If girls want freedom, why don't they just roam around naked?
Freedom has to be limited.”
Appallingly, Samajwadi’s Mulayam Singh brought joy to all
rapists when he averred recently, “boys make mistakes that does not mean one
hangs them.” Instead his Maharashtra colleague
Abu Azmi advocated, “Unmarried women who have sex, consensual or otherwise,
should be hanged.” Added, ex Delhi Chief
Minister Sheila Dikshit, “Women should not be adventurous…Girls have no
business being out alone after midnight.” With leaders like these, can India’s future
be bright?
To the
ludicrous. “Rape is due to hormonal imbalance
caused by eating fast food….girls should wear overcoats to prevent men from
lusting after them…. lower girls
marriageable age it will prevent rapes…. schoolgirls
shouldn’t wear skirts they draw attention from mischievous elements. Sic.
Our polity’s advice? Instead of resisting rape, girls should
simply invoke God and religion and refer to the molesters as her brothers. And
voila! Heavens will shower good sense and morality on the rapists, they would
see the right path and everyone has a happy ending!
Clearly, indicative of the narrow-minded climate of
political discourse we live in wherein reality not only bites but also can be
twisted and misrepresented to suit our ‘holy cows’ netas narrow ends, shore up their image, commitment to their
constituencies and portrays their ostrich-like attitude towards their attitude
towards the fairer sex. .
Raising a moot point: Is India heading towards an era of
intolerance and political veto? Is the polity afraid of the clash of ideas in our
public life? Is it mere coincidence or a sign of an increasingly knee-jerk,
reactionary country?
Think. The rape culture has slowly but surely seeped into
the fabric of India.
And is the fourth most common crime in the country with over 27,923 reported
last year. Add to this over 100,000 minor girls go missing each year, with the
majority of them being sexually abused, trafficked into prostitution with the
police complicit in these crimes.
Sickeningly, over 7,200 minors are raped each year. Only a
tip of the iceberg as most victims don’t report assaults and continue to suffer
mistreatment for fear of retaliation or are humiliated by the police. Outrageously,
out of 1,01,041 cases before Courts, only 3563 convictions took place and
comparison to 11,154 acquittals
Shockingly, Capital New Delhi has the highest number of
rape-reports among Indian cities, followed by Mumbai while Jabalpur has the per capita incidence of
reported rapes. Of these a majority of victims, were in the 18-30 year age
group. This is not all. Of fetus found in dustbins 999 are female.
Besides, there was a 135% increase in the number of cases
reported in Maharashtra from 1,302 in 2001 to
3,063 in 2013. In Karnataka, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Gujarat,
Haryana, Jharkhand and Himachal Pradesh, the number of cases reported was more
than double the figure reported in 2001.
The brutal fact is that India is in the grip of bigotry,
narrow mindedness and cultural terror, that no film-maker, historian or social
scientist can honestly do his/her research objectively. Sadly, political veto is the latest facet of the dirty
politics that our netagan have
stooped to. Worse, they seem to be getting away with it without even soiling
their hands.
Underscoring, that increasingly the leaders are talking more
and more in banalities and platitudes where life is lived in the slim strip
called the official and every reality, satire or defiance treated as a monster.
Big deal if this makes public discourse impoverished and toothless.
Bringing things to such a pass whereby our polity afflicted
by the I, me myself syndrome seem to be only interested in grabbing headlines
whenever they can. As far as individual freedom is concerned they couldn’t
careless.
It’s all about making the right pseudo-secular noises to
humour their respective vote-banks, promote their self-interest by creating
dissension among the aam aadmi
resulting in making them rich and powerful. And India more conflict ridden deeply
mired in hatred and violence specially vis-à-vis caste and religion.
Alas, this is not the first time. Many films, books even
cartoons have been banned, innumerable artists have faced taboo and forced out
in a country which prides it self for being the birthplace of so many apostles
of peace and non-violence ---- Gandhi, Buddha and Mahavir. If one doesn’t like
a film just collect a crowd and burn the theaters where it is shown. If you
don’t like a novelist’s book get the Government to ban it or issue a fatwa
against the author.
Where does India
go from here? To another film storm, to more uncertainty on India’s
Daughter? Whereby, celebrities and films are fast becoming soft targets with
knee-jerk reactions taking over debates and calibrated decisions.
Clearly, the speed with which our tolerance is falling to
fragile levels is scary. Forgetting that if an individual’s freedom is denied,
then the freedom of a community will be trampled upon too. Our leaders must
desist from using caste, creed and attitudes as pedestals to stand on to be
seen. The right to freedom of expression must be protected at all costs. The
ban on the documentary must be lifted forthwith else we are in danger of
becoming the laughing stock around the world.
The message has to go out clearly that India is open
to various streams of political and cultural discourse. We could do without netas who distorts politics and in turn
destroy freedom of expression and thought, a perquisite of democracy. Will they
heed? ------ INFA.
(Copyright, India
News and Feature Alliance)
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