Yet another gangrape

The horror of the 2012 Nirbhaya case brought together the whole of India. In a single mass movement, angry young men marched shoulder to shoulder with equally enraged women. The moment was surreal. There was a sense of collective complicity, collective shame. It appeared to be the point of inflection that would, after a hopeless, endless wait, change the destiny of the Indian woman. The unspoken promise rent the air — henceforth, you will be safe. The tragedy hit home when the resolve melted. The moment was lost, in a way many movements are, into the abyss of apathy and spiritlessness. 

Ghoulish rapes continue to be reported across India. In Haryana last year, a CBSE topper was gangraped. Expectedly, there was outrage. Expectedly, nothing changed. Punjab saw a repeat of the savagery, when a 21-year-old college girl, accompanied by her male friend, in the safety of a car, was gangraped near its richest city, Ludhiana, also dubbed the state’s rape capital. The case also brings forth police ineptitude. The police had been alerted, but did not move into action. An ASI has been suspended for dereliction of duty, 10 unidentified persons have been booked. One wonders if this is all the action the case will see. Crime against women is on constant rise, but the conviction rate hovers dolefully low. The 2016 National Crime Records Bureau data reveals that only one in every four cases of rape ends in conviction. 

Express action is imperative in crimes of grave nature. Any sign of police laxity emboldens the perpetrators: if they can get away with one crime, why not another? The stakes must be raised very high for criminals. Without the fear of reprisal, it will always be the case of fighting a losing battle. Punjab has done well to open women police stations. But much more must be done. The surveillance system and rapid response teams need to be augmented and strengthened. Systematic training is essential to sensitise the police force, and accountability ought to be pinned. Else, the picture of a woman’s safety will remain gloomy: she will be let down, over and over again.