Delhi Rape: Sorry Damini...
By Dr Suhael Ahmed
(Dr Suhael Ahmed is a Maxillofacial surgeon from Mangalore. He can be reached at drsuhael@hotmail.com)
Dec 30: Every Indian, including the central and state governments and the Women’s Commission needs to say sorry today to Damini. Not only to the unfortunate Delhi rape victim, but also to the innumerable Daminis who have gone through the horrific and traumatizing experience of being raped in the past.
We have all woken up today because of the magnitude of this incident. A young educated woman, although accompanied by a male friend and not so late at night (9:30 pm) in the heart of the capital city of world’s largest Democracy was left to defend herself against 6 demons.
And then the blame game starts.
Delhi chief minister wanted the police commissioner to be sacked after the incident. She squarely put the blame on the area police who she says should take the responsibility.Couple of officers were sacked too just to pacify the angered public.
Now consider this. A couple boards a bus. Six men in the bus including the driver, who were on joy ride tease the girl. Her male friend objects. Scuffle breaks out. They hit the male with a iron rod. The girl puts up a fight, bites the hand of the main accused, Ram Singh. This agitates Ram singh who is already intoxicated. The 6 men rape her turn by turn, cause her severe injuries with the same iron rod which tears apart even her intestine.They completely undress both the girl and her male friend and push them out of the bus.
Now what could the police do here. How can the local area police be blamed completely. If anyone has to take blame, it has to be the chief minister herself. Being a woman herself, she should have taken cognizance of earlier numerous crimes in her city and made effort to bring about changes in the system. After all nobody has better access to worlds 10th most powerful person as she has.
The main accused Ram singh had once appeared on a TV programme, 'Aap Ki Kacheri' hosted by ex-IPS officer Kiran Bedi. Singh wanted compensation from bus owner for the injury caused during a bus accident. In the programme his employer had mentioned that he was a drunkard and a reckless driver. Eventually he did not get compensation. Even after such a background, his latest employer was a school. Everyday he picked and dropped school children by the bus. So no lessons learnt there.
We have ourselves to blame to a large extent.
Now that an innocent life is lost, all we can do is light candles and take a walk.
There should have been a change in the system earlier. Now, if at least this incident doesn’t bring about change, nothing else would.
The change has to start from within. We need to teach male children at home as well as in schools about how to behave with a woman. Also, our insensitive parliamentarians need to be taught how to talk about women in public.
Every state needs to have in their cities, at least one all-woman police station, so that women victims of harassment or any other crime can report and give statement to a woman police officer.
Women's Commission should have a separate dedicated cell for supporting victims of sexual abuse.
There is already lot of talk about fast track courts. Other than having speedy justice, the rape accused and convicts' names with pictures should be put up in every bus station and railway station of their respective cities. A small corner of the stations should be dedicated for this purpose.
Lets see how we improve ourselves from here on, or is this just a momentary outburst of emotions?
For now, lets silently pray for the departed soul and say “Sorry Damini”.
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