08/19/2024
India currently is in the grip of rape politics. The ghastly incident in a medical college in Kolkata a few days ago has not only brought rape to the discourse of national politics, but also has exposed the very politicized mindset of political debaters and leaders, who search in this heinous crime opportunities to increase their vote share in elections.
It may not be too much an exaggeration to say India is a rape-dominated country. I say this with pain. The data which is in public domain details how many rapes take place every day in India, and even those data, I suspect, do not provide all the instances as the patriarchal society, and gender insensitive mindset, social ostracization, etc. lead to this under reporting. Some may argue that as India is the most populous country, the number is very miniscule in comparison to the population. This is a very unjust, and insensitive, argument. Ask the family members of the victim who was raped and killed in Kolkata recently. Or, ask the family members of Ankita Bhandari in Uttarakhand, who was raped and killed by the individuals who were close to power.
The politics of rape in fact runs deep, and it turns dangerous and ugly when mainstream political leaders either underestimate the instances of rape or consider them as minor crimes. Mulayam Singh Yadav had notoriously commented that young men commit mistakes, implying rape is such a mistake. Yadav, a mainstream leader and a founder of a political party, reflected the very patriarchal mindset. And when top leaders like Yadav make such statements, their large followers do not mind committing the heinous crime as for them this is a youthful mistake.
And when this patriarchal mental setup is mixed with the negative side of social media, the situation is almost kind of hell. India is one of the countries in which the Internet is cheap, and the young generation, who are social media savvy, spent a lot of time on it. Free pornography adds to the problem. The main culprit in the Kolkata incident, as some reports suggest, had watched pornography videos before the crime. The Internet itself is value-free, implying one can use it for many good purposes. I myself use the Internet many times a day to do my college work, to do research on my areas, and to even do shopping. But the Internet can be a dangerous pathway towards social deviance, and can aid incidents like the recent one in Kolkata.
As I am in India now and watching TV debates, I can see most of them are pathetic. Each political party is trying to take a high moral ground, and their spokespersons are giving long lectures on morality and ethics. While the BJP talks about Kolkata, in West Bengal state ruled by an opposition party, the opposition talks about Ankita Bhandari case, which happened in a BJP ruled state. But what is happening in reality to address this national crisis? Practically nothing. Blame game goes on. It reminds me of the tragedy of Nirbhaya that happened in 2012. There was a huge national uproar with many well minded people joining the protest to address the crisis. The culprits were punished, but the rapes continued.
I am glad that the Supreme Court of India has intervened in the case, and it is trying to bring the culprits to justice. While the decision of the highest court is appreciated, I would argue that laws would not be enough to address this national shame.
Unless the political class rise to the occasion, and rise above vote bank politics, heinous crimes, even worse than conceivable imagination, would continue. Nirbhaya happened, protests took place after that, but things cooled down, and then we had Hathras, Uttarakhand, and Kolkata. These are just a few instances. The Indian national landscape is strewn with such horrible incidents and the daughters of India are crying for help. Political leaders make great promises, but forget to act. I am not saying that all political leaders are rapists, or have the mindset like that of Mulayam Singh Yadav, but unless there is a concerted action by all political parties, we will have more rapes in the coming days, and social media and free pornography are going to aid this downward spiral.
Hence, I would suggest the political leaders stop trying to take high moral grounds. There is a saying that ‘is hamam mein sab nange hai’, literally meaning in this public bathroom all are naked. All political parties are to be blamed for this rape scenario in India. I hope the Kolkata incident would spur the political leaders into action, awaken their inner soul, for some concrete policy steps so that such incidents do not happen or at least minimized.
When I think about Indian culture and civilization, and the great Indian scriptures, and then think about the incidents like Kolkata rape, I find myself in a very awkward situation. Which India are we talking about? Is it the India of Vedas and Vedanta or the India of Nirbhaya or Ankita Bhandari or the doctor in Kolkata? How are the Indian political leaders carrying the legacy of India? Are Indian political leaders real torchbearers of the spiritual legacy? Or, are they just following the mindset as displayed by Yadav. The two cannot go together. Unless political parties come together and address this issue of rape – thinking of the Kolkata incident – as a family issue, I do not see any light at the end of the tunnel, but only darkness and death.
I am sad that I am writing this article. I wish I did not write it.
