Even after tightening the noose on the rapists of December 16 incident and strengthening the rape laws by the parliament, gangrapes have not stopped in the country.
It is like reliving the nightmare of Delhi gangrape of December 16, 2012. By the start of new year in 2013, the whole of the country had erupted in massive protests over the gangrape. This time, ‘city of joy’ has become city of sorrow over the death of a 16 year old minor who was gangraped in Kolkata on October 25 at Madhyamgram in the northern fringes of the city.
Both the cases find similarity in the brutality hurled by assaulters on the victim. The difference is, Delhi assaulters were able to do it once, but the assaulters in Kolkata gangrape case were able to do it thrice.
The victim was lured out of her house by the assaulters and then gangraped. She was found in a field by her parents the next day of the incident.
The father of the girl, a taxi driver who hails from Bihar, took her for filing an FIR the next day from where she was kidnapped while returning by the assaulters and gangraped once again for daring to seek police help. The severely injured girl was later found lying unconscious near the railway track at Madhyamgram the same day.
Strings of threats were hurled upon the family of the victim for taking her statement back where she had named all the culprits. This forced them to change their residence from Madhyamgram to Dum Dum in the city. But the courage did not die.
When the assaulters could not subdue the family, as claimed by the father of the victim, a close associate of the assaulter set the victim ablaze in broad daylight inflicting serious burn injuries on the victim. Incidentally, it happened the same day six accused were arrested – on December 23.
The victim died in a hospital on December 31, 2013, due to burn injuries.
Even after tightening the noose on the rapists of December 16 incident and strengthening the rape laws by the parliament, gangrapes have not stopped in the country. The ghastly incidences have just increased a degree in the brutality by the assaulters.
The administration, despite the grievous nature of the case, could not provide security to the family. This was the main reason which resulted in further assault on the girl and the family.
Even after her death, there was no respite. Political parties, mainly CPM, started protesting her death. Her body was used as a prop for this protest and she was cremated after a scuffle between police and the political parties. Reportedly, it was followed after the police were accused of “hijacking” the body and taking it for cremation on Tuesday night against the family’s wishes who wanted it to happen on Wednesday.
The governor of West Bengal, MK Narayanan, has demanded death penalty for the rapists and security for the family. The irony in the case is that the chief minister of Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, has yet not been able to give any solace to the family of the victim.
The question is why rapes in this country are not stopping? And where is the commonsense of the administration when it comes to the security of citizens?
