“Wow, I am a juvenile and I can do whatever I feel like!” I said in response to my colleagues
complimenting me on younger looks (sweet seventeen!) post my latest shorter haircut.
It was a natural response the day after hearing the official pronouncement of
India’s infamous Juvenile Board in favour of the so-called not-yet-18
rapist-murderer of Nirbhaya. My saying so elicited laughter and my mind
immediately went back to many years ago when I had said a similar thing on my
18th birthday: “Wow, I am 18 and I can do whatever I feel
like!”
If earlier attaining an
age of 18 meant becoming an “adult”
- an independent being free to choose the course in life as one wishes, besides
getting to vote the government into power – if, of course, one had a wonderfully
supportive & understanding educated family, then today being a Juvenile seems to be a blessing, at least in India.
The age-wise classification of people in the world starts with born as an infant
to becoming a baby to growing up into a young child to being an adolescent to
becoming an adult, ageing gracefully and evolving simultaneously as a human. This “juvenile” category is the latest in
vogue, in India only.
Actually this disturbing
virtue of being a juvenile in India was playing on my mind since the previous
evening when hearing a bunch of the so-called activists of all hues - human
rights, child rights, juvenile justice –
go absolutely tangent in their bizarre and twisted – fit to be prosecuted
and stoned if left in public –
television arguments in support of the
so-called juvenile rapist-murderer of Nirbhaya. Their calling this criminal a “child” made me cry with rage and shame.
I sent smses to Arnab Goswami to
throw those mad activists out of his studios – as The Newshour was ‘live’ - and not waste time by giving those nuts national
primetime and platform to appear on television and infect the public opinion and
insult public sentiments on a hugely sensitive subject.
(I respect Arnab’s viewpoint to have a democratic debate
whatever the case may be and thus giving opportunity to even the opposing voices;
nevertheless, I confess that if ever I get an opportunity to anchor a
television news program and moderate a debate, and I am ‘forced’ to have them
on my show, I will “mute” these
deranged voices and blur their faces
and thus ensure that these opportunists do not get national primetime and
visibility.)
Those twisted
activists were talking through their hats and proposing putting a “robust system” to “reform” the juvenile rapist-killer of Nirbhaya! I sent another sms
to Arnab asking him to ask those same
activists if they were willing to take the juvenile criminal to their own homes
– in turn – and “reform” him, a “child” in their words! I exactly know how
they would have reacted: they would have fainted in the studios itself! And
their own family members too would have fainted in their homes at the same time!
It is one thing talking in a television studio in order to justify
and save their “jobs” and appear compassionate and committed, and absolutely
another thing to “walk ones’ own talk”. These so-called activists should first take
a few juvenile criminals and “reform” them; to start with they should try their
experiment on a few petty juvenile criminals. Nirbhaya’s juvenile rapist-murderer will be punished as per the
heinousness of his crime. Period.
Frankly, I have always wondered about the grand purpose of these
so-called activists in every imaginable human-related field; I am yet to see
them doing anything worthwhile in their respective chosen action areas. To me these so-called activists seem to be a
complete waste of time and resources (they are almost always a part of some
so-called NGO or a government board/body, prospering on public funds but almost always acting on behalf of the “accused”
– fighting for the “human-rights” of the non-humans, almost never being on the side
of the “humans” which are the “real victims”. Examples are numerous: be it
in case of Maoists or Child abusers or juvenile criminals. I have never heard
them arguing and voicing their concern and exhibiting their commitment in
fighting human rights violators. In my
opinion, the best way to get rid of the menace of these so-called human rights
activists of all kinds is to gag and ban them.
I am sure the India
Justice System will set an example in front of the world by delivering
appropriate and speedy justice to Nirbhaya. I am sure the government and the Judiciary will amend the archaic
Juvenile Justice System and evoke their extraordinary powers to punishment all
rapists-murderers of Nirbhaya equally, keeping only the gravity of their crime
as their yardstick and guiding principle. I wonder if an opposite scenario
arises, will this so-called juvenile criminal be able to breathe even for a
second the moment he steps out of Tihar or his reform home in public domain as
a free individual …
Another aspect which
disturbed me the most about this
so-called juvenile angle being propagated in Nirbhaya’s rapist-murderer’s case,
is that if we treat even hardened so-called juvenile criminals with kid gloves,
then soon we will see the professional criminals hiring or grooming a brigade
of the so-called juveniles to commit crimes of all types, assuring them
immunity against any kind of punishment – forget about that being “harsh” – just because of they being on the “right
side” of the age limit. I shuddered with these thoughts. This type of “outsourcing” in the criminal field is
not an imagination; this could become a reality soon in India. Only God can save India then, perhaps …
The evening of the 16th
of December of the year gone by is the day which told India in cold voice that why
it was called the most dangerous place for women in the world. It also woke
the Indians – hopefully every one of us – that in order to live a life with
dignity and peace, India need to be bold in dealing with the ills of its society,
especially in cases of crimes against its female citizens. Indians expressed
their shock and disbelief hearing soul-curdling Nirbhaya’s ordeal. We cried and
felt rattled; we felt insecure and vulnerable; and ashamed. But the best thing witnessed
was the strength showed by the protesters, most of them young students, who
braved the brutal clampdown of the government but did not budge. The most
shocking and shameful was the prime minister saying “theek hai?” post his 2
minutes 13 seconds much belated – forced – televised address to his country
folks.
Come on, Mr. Prime Minister, you were among the most respectable personalities India ever had in the post-Independence
period and you were hailed as the architect of the modern and prospering India;
but your prolonged stay in the position of power seems to have blunted your vision
and emotions. I am sure you too must be wondering about this transformation
within yourself. Wake up before you get banished by Indians too; the world has
already labelled you as being an “Underachiever”. Indian history will mock
your meekness.
Making India a safe
and secure country for all its citizens – females included – is going to become
a reality only when the Indian government wakes up to the realities and its own
responsibilities. Because before the much
needed mindset change comes about, the crimes need to be checked and
deterred with deterrent punishments delivered through fast track judiciary
process and a sensitive and committed government towards good governance,
bringing about the much needed amendments in its archaic laws. Of course, gradually
much need initiatives need to be taken up by Indians collectively; each individual
Indian needs to take the oath to work towards reforming our own mindset first
and foremost and of our family members which will cumulatively bring about the
much needed changes in the society and the country. Otherwise, we will keep
waiting for the much needed mindset change for millennia and the world will
keep wondering that “what the hell is happening in India of 21st century?”
………………
P.S: Nirbhaya, India
will not fail you; all your rapists-murderers will be hanged till death soon
including the so-called juvenile rapist-murderer. …
