letters
Republic of Horrors
MUSCAT P . A . Jacob : I don ’ t think there is a better word than ‘ hatred ’ to describe the current atmosphere the country is enveloped in ( Raptors of Hatred , April 30 ). India is really faced with the politics of fear and subjugation . Hatred is a form of poison injecting slowly into the secular and democratic fabric of the nation . What played out after the brutal rape in Kathua was an orchestrated attempt to perpetuate the politics of polarisation and division among communities . While the nation bows its head in shame , the tragedy is that a number of people can be seen comparing this incident with other incidents of rape and killing in a dizzying volley of whataboutery . Such people have been rendered blind by the politics of hatred . The public support of two BJP ministers for the accused is shameful . Acts like these attack any remaining sense of morality and pluralism in society . The only hope that remains at this juncture of fear and hatred is people like Jammu lawyer Deepika Singh Rajawat , counsel for the victim ’ s family , who is bravely fig h ting the apostles of communal polarisation .
FARIDABAD Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee : It ’ s shocking that on the one hand , PM Narendra Modi is seen promoting a campaign called ‘ Beti Bachao , Beti Padhao ’, and on the other hand , the budget for the Nirbhaya fund is being cut by his government . The PM ’ s silence on both Kathua and Unnao is shameful . Reports reveal that a good number of BJP politicians have been booked , accused or even chargesheeted over the past few years in incidents involving crimes against women in various states . Former editor of the RSS mouthpiece Organiser Dr R . Balashankar ’ s column in your magazine , Rape Doesn ’ t Have A Colour —
April 30 , 2018
where he tried to shift the ‘ blame ’ by stating that the two BJP ministers who attended the rally held in support of the accused in Jammu were former Congress ministers — is also shameful . Though immediately after his London tour , the PM forced the Union Cabinet to tighten laws around rape — by introducing the death penalty for those who rape minors below the age of 12 — this ordinance is at best a populist gimmick by the government to blunt the criticism against it .
MUMBAI Kamal Anil Kapadia : What have we become ! I was beyond shocked when I heard about the Kathua rape . It made me realise that you can ban content on TV , films , pornography , whatever you want , but you can ’ t change the mentality of society . Only stringent laws and the fear of punishment can make a difference now , but I ’ m sorry to say we are many levels behind in that respect . Imagine the horror the child went through in that temple . I can ’ t even imagine that . India needs to do something before it is too late . We need to change the way we think radically . We pretend to respect goddesses but have no respect for our women . We all need to step forward — if you find someone misbehaving with a woman , do something .
SHILLONG Salil Gewali : Medical science has made great progress over the years in treating diseases like malaria , dengue and HIV , but what of the malaise in society that makes people monsters ? We surely are a diseased soc iety and there appears to be no cure in sight . Is it not a strong slap in the face of modern civilisation , considering we have not yet spelled out the causes and the characteristic symptoms of the ‘ toxic emitters ’ who turn men into monsters ? Should we still wait to work out tough laws ? Or should we rather investigate our cultures for the causes of this sick disease ?
ON E-MAIL Prakash Hanspaul : The two rapes — in Kathua , Jammu and Unnau , UP — have shaken the conscience of the nation yet again . The last time such outrage was seen was in 2012 at the time of the Nirbhaya case . These horrific crimes have laid to rest all claims of civilisational superiority that have become a leitmotif of political rhetoric in this country . These two crimes stand out not because they are in themselves extraordinary events — unfortunately , rapes of minors and systemic sexual abuse are realities we encounter everyday in the newspapers — but because they are connected by a thread of vile politics .
In both these cases , political interests , the police , the bureaucracy and lawyers have sought to protect the accused . Any goodwill that the BJP earned from its one-liner ON E-MAIL Deepa Shekhawat
We live in times where hatred has engulfed all sense of humanity ; victims are mere pawns .
4 OUTLOOK 14 May 2018