"अभी तो बच्चा है , बड़ा होकर समझदार हो जायेगा !" (He's just a kid, will become responsible when he grows up.)
Does the opening line leave you confused ? It confuses me too. This word - बड़ा होना (growing up to be an adult) has been used so casually that it has perhaps lost its meaning and people defining it have lost minds. When we were kids, people used to ask - " बेटा , बड़े होकर क्या बनोगे ? (which profession would you like to pursue when you grow up?)" We used to innocently answer whatever we fascinated about. But do you remember anybody ever saying - "What will you be after 18 ?" Or did you ever plan your life in two phases - "Before 18 and after 18." No, I guess.
Why is this 18 mark so important to distinguish a juvenile from an adult? Does adulthood come in just a matter of one day or two? I mean if today, I am 17 years and 364 days old and 18 years of age , a day after, will there be any drastic change in me in two days. Will my sperm count shoot up and grow exponentially ? Or will I be enlightened in those two days? Still worse - can I transform into an animal as soon as I cross that 18 mark?
NO! the answer to all above questions is a strict no. Primarily, adulthood is defined as the age of sexual maturity. But do you think that sexual maturity come in one day? We are not talking about a rocket launch which has to follow the exact launch schedule. Sexual maturity is not something that knocks your door on a fine morning as soon as you turn 18. But for our judiciary, it seems that adulthood is some birthday gift that comes to each juvenile as soon as he turns 18.
When this innocent girl was raped in a bus last year, many protests were held. Ministers made many promises as usual but everything faded away with her death. The government supposedly flew her dead body to Singapore and probably bribed (after all they are best at bribing) the hospital administration there to declare her 'dead' but not 'brought dead'. Everything came back to normal and people got busy in their daily chores. Everyone forgot the girl except for her family because only they had lost a part of them, not us. People don't care anymore. Anna Hazare can fast if he gets limelight and is equalled with Gandhi but where does he hide when a girl is thrashed to death? Sonia Gandhi's health becomes a news of national importance but what about so many girls who are denied their right to live after being raped brutally ?
In this case, we were not even dealing with just a single rape attempt. A girl was raped turn-by-turn by six people and this 'juvenile' - "He beat her with an iron rod. He inserted it into her body till it went all the way up and yanked it out, and with it, her intestines. As she shouted for him to stop, he screamed at her, 'Saali, mar! (Die, bitch)' Yet the law calls him a juvenile."
The parliament is always united to pass a 'reservation' bill because it fetches them votes but what about the families which are shattered after such heinous acts? Can you imagine her mother ever having a sound sleep in her life. And her brother who despite getting tied a rakhi could not do anything to save his sister. And the male friend, who will always curse himself that they did it all in front of him. And the father, who can't do anything but fight his tears somehow. The judiciary seems to have lost vision. This so-called juvenile was well aware of what he was doing. He had also robbed a carpenter the other day.
Gang rape is not a momentary event. Only animals can do this. I guess if the judge had imagined this happening to him/her just once, the verdict would have been different. These animals can never be a part of a civilized society. Lets answer a simple question - If my pet dog is infected with rabies and it bites anyone whom it sees, will I still let it live ? NO, will be my call. Then how are these people different. How does it matter if the dog is infected at the age of 1 or 8? It still poses a threat and must be killed. Same applies to all the five accused in this case. But I guess now people are too busy to read my article or think at their own. That girl has already been forgotten except for her family. Politicians already warmed their hands and the case is too cold now.
I am unable to think what will happen if the three members of her family commit suicide out of frustration. Who will be accountable for those three lives - a law that shields the culprit. If that law takes away three other innocent lives while saving a culprit accused of a horrendous act, how is that law any good ?
I know I will never get an answer to any of my questions and there's little that I can do at my end except for respecting the girls. And for the departed soul I can just say - "Rest in peace - you belonged to a crap nation called 'India' where being a girl is the biggest crime you commit as soon as you are born."
Does the opening line leave you confused ? It confuses me too. This word - बड़ा होना (growing up to be an adult) has been used so casually that it has perhaps lost its meaning and people defining it have lost minds. When we were kids, people used to ask - " बेटा , बड़े होकर क्या बनोगे ? (which profession would you like to pursue when you grow up?)" We used to innocently answer whatever we fascinated about. But do you remember anybody ever saying - "What will you be after 18 ?" Or did you ever plan your life in two phases - "Before 18 and after 18." No, I guess.
NO! the answer to all above questions is a strict no. Primarily, adulthood is defined as the age of sexual maturity. But do you think that sexual maturity come in one day? We are not talking about a rocket launch which has to follow the exact launch schedule. Sexual maturity is not something that knocks your door on a fine morning as soon as you turn 18. But for our judiciary, it seems that adulthood is some birthday gift that comes to each juvenile as soon as he turns 18.
In this case, we were not even dealing with just a single rape attempt. A girl was raped turn-by-turn by six people and this 'juvenile' - "He beat her with an iron rod. He inserted it into her body till it went all the way up and yanked it out, and with it, her intestines. As she shouted for him to stop, he screamed at her, 'Saali, mar! (Die, bitch)' Yet the law calls him a juvenile."
The parliament is always united to pass a 'reservation' bill because it fetches them votes but what about the families which are shattered after such heinous acts? Can you imagine her mother ever having a sound sleep in her life. And her brother who despite getting tied a rakhi could not do anything to save his sister. And the male friend, who will always curse himself that they did it all in front of him. And the father, who can't do anything but fight his tears somehow. The judiciary seems to have lost vision. This so-called juvenile was well aware of what he was doing. He had also robbed a carpenter the other day.
Gang rape is not a momentary event. Only animals can do this. I guess if the judge had imagined this happening to him/her just once, the verdict would have been different. These animals can never be a part of a civilized society. Lets answer a simple question - If my pet dog is infected with rabies and it bites anyone whom it sees, will I still let it live ? NO, will be my call. Then how are these people different. How does it matter if the dog is infected at the age of 1 or 8? It still poses a threat and must be killed. Same applies to all the five accused in this case. But I guess now people are too busy to read my article or think at their own. That girl has already been forgotten except for her family. Politicians already warmed their hands and the case is too cold now.
I am unable to think what will happen if the three members of her family commit suicide out of frustration. Who will be accountable for those three lives - a law that shields the culprit. If that law takes away three other innocent lives while saving a culprit accused of a horrendous act, how is that law any good ?
I know I will never get an answer to any of my questions and there's little that I can do at my end except for respecting the girls. And for the departed soul I can just say - "Rest in peace - you belonged to a crap nation called 'India' where being a girl is the biggest crime you commit as soon as you are born."
Similar thoughts , tried to blog on this but my views and thoughts were all scattered . This one is brilliantly put .
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