Sunday, December 27, 2009

Jessica, Ruchika, Priyadarshini. Who next?

Why should I feel bad? After all what is the point in trying to harp on something that happened ages ago, 15 years to the day, to a family I never knew existed. Nobody molested my sister, nobody molested my daughter. My brother was not booked for crimes he never committed. My parents never had to live with the memory of a daughter who drank poison for there was no justice for her. So why should I feel bad?

Yet, I am feeling bad. I am feeling guilty. I am feeling ashamed of myself. And I am angry too. I am angry at the judicial system, I am angry at the law of the land which could snuff out a young life like this. And I am angry at myself for feeling so helpless.

19 years ago, Ruchika Girhotra, at the tender age of 14 decided to raise her voice against the then IG of Haryana Police SPS Rathore. When she did that was she aware of what she was getting into, that too in a state that even in the modern 21st century boasts of such grand activities as female infanticide, honor killing and dowry deaths with such alarming regularity? Or maybe she was foolish enough to trust the judiciary and all the judicial machineries. After all fourteen is the age of naivety when we believe democracy has the cure for everything and nobody is above the law.

What can a minion like her or her family do when they are pitted against the wholesome insolent might of the state machinery intoxicated with power. After all don't men in power regularly do these things? Ruchika was neither an adult nor was she raped. So why so much brouhaha. These things are best kept under the carpet. But no, this girl had to prove a point. She was a fool and she was shown her proper place.

Actually there was an overkill. Every single government machinery worked in tandem with an alarming synchronization not generally associated with my country. The police, the doctors, the judiciary, the political class and finally the cog in the grand wheel of democracy- the masses. Everyone made sure that Ruchika paid the price for raising her voice. Her brother was implicated with false cases and severely beaten. Her father was transferred. She was harassed, thrown out of school, thrown out of he tennis coaching where Rathore was the president. Not only was a 14 year old teenager molested and forced to end her life, the whole family was molested mentally and socially. And it culminated when on 28th December, 1993 Ruchika finally decided to end her life.

Justice was done, may be bit too late and may be bit too little. After 19 long years SPS Rathore is convicted with 6 months of jail and fine amount which would out to shame even the word tokenism. Did someone say travesty of Justice. Is that all it takes to drive a girl to suicide. Is that all it takes to kill a family? That's all it takes. And that's how it works.

The judicial system has failed. We have failed. We have had one too many of Ruchikas, Jessicas and Priyadarshinis. But not any more. As a new year dawns upon us it's time for an awakening, a new beginning for our democracy, for our judicial system and for us. Yesterday it was Ruchika, tomorrow it can be be me.

As I sign-off I can not refrain from quoting John Donne.

"Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bells tolls; it tolls for thee."

1 comment:

Pizza fanboy said...

sahi baat ha Anjan bai.