A Woman's Right To Freedom: Will She Get It?

After the Ruchika Girhotra case has taken a turn, for the first time in 19 years, towards the initial stages of justice, we are now struck with an episode that is more or less, an emulation to the former case. This case, though a new one, is an age old case when thought of it in terms of the events leading to the consequence - the death of 2 innocent women. A 2nd year Bachelor of Arts student returning home with an acquaintance on a scooter had to make a pit stop as the scooter broke down. The 2 policemen, Arvind Patel and Kanaiyhalal Tiwari, taking advantage of the circumstances, approached the women, but only to beat them up, tear open their clothes and make an MMS clip out of this appallingly shameful event. A complaint was registered which led to a couple of policemen, Praveen Tripathi and Ashok Tiwari, to turn up at the victims' house to record their statements. After realizing the absence of the father, the only member of the house, they issued threats to the girls. Soon after, both girls consumed poison leading to the younger sister's death. The elder one was admitted to a hospital but an attempt to save her life turned futile, as she died later that night.

Again, no action was being taken initially. It was only when the news channels took this case up and when people in the neighbourhood cried slogans and demanded action, did it warrant punishment against the accused. Suspension. Yes, it is just a suspension for now. It is said that on a particular condition, they can regain their freedom to don their uniform once again. Perhaps it is a way to cover up for all that they have done, metaphorically speaking. But its not possible now that the people are truly aware of the incident.

This is not a new issue. Women are harassed on the streets, on the bus, at the railway station, at the workplaces, so on and so forth. The only place where a woman could probably find herself safe is at the temple, many may say thanks to the strong and sacred foundations built into each inch of the walls; but then again, it only takes a very large number of people at the temple to let harassment surface again. No one notices it; the woman doesn't speak about it; case closed.

Sexual abuse/Molestation/Eve Teasing/Rape are all heinous crimes that give any sensible person a complete account of the mentality of men living in the society. It is necessary to demand a personal introspection by each one of us on the aspects of such cruel mentality. Its only after an honest introspection that a realization dawns upon us as to how sickening this social evil is.

There have been frequent attempts to try and understand the male instinct causing molestation. Many reasons like, for instance, out of lust,  have been assigned to such grave incidents. There are also other reasons that come to mind, like, out of anger, to take revenge, so on and so forth. These reasons are true, yet do not speak of a remedy. It is shocking to know that there hasn't been a remedy on this - even in principle. By remedy, I don't intend to speak of the laws against molestation. There are a few. Please go through these particular links for laws against molestation, sexual harassment and rape :    
http://www.molestation.in/laws-against-molestation
http://www.legalserviceindia.com/articles/rape_laws.htm

But there seems to be no remedy to the occurrence of these appalling events. The laws are passed in order to punish the criminal. But is there a way to stop the crime? Yes, by changing the structure of laws in the judicial system. The judicial system is a very strong force to reckon with, but only if it has effective laws that not only punish the criminal, but also finds a way to reduce the occurrence of the crime. Maybe the judicial system needs a revisit on the laws that have been passed.

All in all, it is the awareness among people that matters the most. When people around the world realize the plight of women on facing such situations, we might just be fortunate enough to see a plummeting of such cases in future.

Let us stand up for the women in our society. Let the natural symphony of our society be undisturbed by the cacophony created by the evil of sexual abuse.