Political Diary

New Delhi, 22 December 2012

National Outrage Over Rape

NETAS OUT OF SYNC, WHITHER INDIA?

By Poonam I Kaushish

Where is my India? Where is it going? Most important, where are our leaders taking it? To hell it seems.

I agonise over these questions after returning from India’s seat of power, New Delhi’s Raisina Hill, where an unprecedented demonstration of thousands of young students aged 15 to 20 protest against the heinous gang rape of a 23-year-old medical intern battling for her life in the ICU in a hospital. Standing shoulder to shoulder these youngsters have been lathi charged, over 80 rounds of tear gas lobbed, water canons sprayed to deflate the swelling crowd and 10 injured girls rushed to hospital. Yet they hold steadfast. Like in the rest of the country

Arguably, it’s not a question of protesters alone which worries me. What one is concerned about is whether this brutality has stirred our netas conscious? Or will it be wished away as a bad dream? An issue which will die its natural death within days. Have we decided to surrender shamelessly to horrendous criminalization? Said goodbye to the rule of law?

The tragedy of it all is that not only have our leaders lost the plot but worse they are so out of sync of what the people want and what our leaders think is best for them. Alongside with civil society groups taking law into their own hands the State appears to have lost its legitimacy and sovereignty.

The anger and indignation coursing through the streets of India is palpable but their plaintive cries for justice boomerang as our netas ensconced in their fortified houses care only for themselves. Moving around in lal batti cars with stengun-toting security. Avers Union Home Minister Shinde, “I too have three daughters… justice will be done”. Really? When? Is that his badge of honour for the increasingly unsafe environment wherein young girls are mince-meat for male lust who strut around as human animals?

Asserts, Delhi’s Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, “Girls should not wear jeans and exposing clothes, instead wear salwar kameezes. They have no business to be driving around at 2 am in the morning.” What about making the city safe for the aam aadmi?  Amidst this, most scandalously the Union Home Secretary praises the Delhi police, calling their handling of the case “outstanding”. Sic

More. In an era when political image is branded like detergents, MPs voiced their fake manufactured grief over this dastardly crime in both Houses of Parliament. The Government once again offered nothing but empty rhetoric, completely disregarding the fact that it has failed miserably time and again in making our cities safe.

Think. If they could pass the FDI and quota in promotions Bills why not strengthen our policing laws? Remember, it took a young Indian mother’s death for Ireland to change its abortion laws and legalise it. What stops our Parliamentarians from doing the same to ensure criminals will not be spared? Justice which would deter men to think thousand times before they commit crime? But first they have to acknowledge that the country is unsafe.

Sadly, such is the state of affairs we are immune to women being snatched off the streets and gang raped in moving cars. In a survey conducted by a London firm of 150 safe cities, New Delhi and Mumbai are ranked 139 and 126 at the bottom of the heap.

Turn to any mohalla, city, or State the story is the same. Be it a minor offence or major crime.  From  molestation, rape, bride burning, road rage to out-of-court “settlements”, fake encounters and torture deaths. It has trapped all with bullet-proof precision. Sending petrified shivers down one’s spine. A jungle raj. And we call ourselves a civilised society!

The fault rests squarely at our leaders doorsteps. Scandalously, according to the Police Research and Development Bureau, in 2010 50,059 police personnel were deployed to protect 16,788 VIPs across 25 States including Ministers, MPs, MLAs, babus and judges. While there is just one police constable to every 1,037 residents, below the Asian average of one officer per 558 people and global average of 333 people

The world's biggest metropolitan police force, Delhi Police with over 83,762 personnel has less than 30% staff available for general policing as all are on “VIP duty”. Over Rs 1000cr of tax-payers money is spent annually on the security staff involved in such duties

More shocking, is the findings of the Association for Democratic Reforms which shows that two MPs, one each from AIADMK and Trinimool have serious rape charges against them. Worse, in UP 8 MLAs (3 SP, 1each from BJP and BSP), Orissa and West Bengal seven MLAs each have rape cases pending in court. In all, 360 MLAs have confessed to charges of outraging a woman’s modesty. Salute our law makers or law breakers?

What of the police? Alas, eight committee reports set up to spotlight the unsafe environs and offer remedies have been dumped in raddi and merrily forgotten. Why? At the crux: Who should control the police?  The Government or an independent body? A Catch-22 question for our power-greedy polity to honestly answer and for us to stupidly expect.

Even the Supreme Court landmark 2006 judgment directing drastic changes in the police to make it more accountable and protect it from political interference came to nought. Recall, it called for overhauling the 145-year-old Indian Police Act and ordered the Centre and States to implement a 7-seven-point directive to prevent politically-engineered mass transfer of officers on change of a Government.

Arguably, is the police more sinned against than sinning? Are the main culprits the politicians? The truth is midway. Both work in tandem in furthering their own self-interest, with the result the system becomes self-perpetuating. Where criminalization of politics has given way to politicization of crime and political criminals.  We have come a full circle. Resulting in the complete brutalization and dehumanisation of the polity and the police. Earning them the nick-name of police-neta-saath-saath.

Where lies India’s salvation from this leech-infested politico-criminal-police nexus? It is imperative we get our priorities right. The Government has to tackle the basic issue first: honest and effective modernization of the police. Which, will have to change radically in order to become people-friendly.

The goal should be to reinforce the Rule of Law. Law and Order should be divided into two separate departments with a separate police force for each. The police should be guided by the law only and not take instructions from politicians. After all, it exists for the citizens not to pander to worthless power-drunk political VIPs.

Our leaders had better pay heed before it is too late. Tough times call for tough action. A revolutionary change is needed. Merely mouthing platitudes will no longer work. The strength of democracy and the quality of life enjoyed by citizens is largely determined by the ability of the police to discharge its duties honourably and independently.

Will the aam aadmi continue to rot at the hands of the policewala goonda whose slogan of being “with you, for you” is a chimera! A time to ponder and introspect --- Apradhikaran akhir kab tak? ----- INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)