rape of a city

To suggest that I am filled with a deep sense of shame with rising crime of sexual violence against women in Delhi and NCR doesn’t even begin to capture my impotent rage. Over the past five years, crime against women have seen a twenty five per cent jump. The national capital is becoming increasingly unsafe place for half its population and this sorry state of affairs is making a mockery of our claim of being a civilized and humane society. Granted that crime takes place everywhere, but what is it about Delhi that makes you cringe at the thought of being a woman and claiming its public places and negotiating its alleys? Maybe something to do with the power dynamics in a rigidly patriarchal set up? Or maybe the expression of brute power is the only currency that is needed to make your way up the greasy pole no matter what form it manifests itself? I am not sure, but the purpose of this piece is not to indulge in any kind of Freudian analysis of the anatomy of rape, rather the issue is more mundane. And that has to do with basic law and order and the caliber and the quality of the police force.

In the short term, they must divert a vast section of the forces from VIP security and deploy on the ground for basic policing, get hundreds of more PCR vans to do rigorous patrolling round the clock especially in the seedy parts of the city and community policing must be the order of the day. In the long run, we must make our police gender sensitive, the lodging of the FIR--- the first step in our brush with law--- for rape victims must be made less cumbersome where women are secure in the knowledge that they are not being judged by any moral yardstick. A rape is a rape is a rape. No matter what the character or the circumstances of the victims and we have no right to pass moral judgments. The very definition of rape as it stands today under IPC, gives a lot of room to maneuver for the accused to slip away if he’s got a canny lawyer for when Lord Macaulay, that great imperialist, devised the definition of rape under IPC more than 200 years ago; it was a vastly different time and age and it would be sheer folly to apply same standards in this day and age. So we need a massive overhaul in this area.

And last but by no means least, we must instill the kind of value system in society especially among the men that women have complete autonomy over their bodies and we have no right to violate it. She must be allowed to conduct herself the way she wants whether in terms of dressing or any lifestyle choice and that the law will be on their side in times of need.

In the end, I would also call upon the women to not cower in fear and retreat into a shell for the criminals to have a field day. Boldly venture out and do your stuff, claim your share of public space be it night or day, rain hail or high water. This fight shall go or at both attitudinal and practical level. Indian women must prevail, they have no choice in this matter.