Faults in Democracy: Exposing lies of a crippled system…
Another daughter lost…Another family broken…Victim blaming…Candle marches…TV Anchors…False medical reports…Frivolous cover-ups…Vote bank politics, and Another forgotten incident, nothing but all exposing the lies of the largest democracy in the world.
We, the people of India having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a society of Justice, Liberty, and Equality, are worse than Ghajani’s Aamir at forgetting such incidents. But what can we do? We are just 1.35 Billion people, who together turn deaf & mute as soon as either a star gets pregnant, or we win another cricket match. Then what, we turn the channel to Kapil Sharma Show, and the three pillars of democracy start their tortoise race till the daughter’s character is assassinated, witnesses are burned, and the case is transferred to CBI, while the accused roams freely, and next such incident happens…and the cycle continues. But where does the fault lies? Which pillar of democracy is responsible — Who should be held accountable for this? Is it The Legislative, The Executive, or The Judiciary? You know what — I feel that we forget the most important pillar of democracy — We, the people while finding faults with the system. So, as Mr. Amit Shah says “Aap chronology samajhiye” — to find out let’s go chronologically.
1)The Indian Mentality: The monster, who attacked, forced himself, and then killed an innocent life, belongs to We, the people (In some cases some other category). So what prompted this pride Indian man?? A short skirt, a failed love affair, an empty street, a hollow women safety law, or just plain Indian Mentality. What was he thinking? Was it for sexual gratification or just a peer challenge in this testosterone-charged society? Had he been afraid of the law, this would have been prevented? What did he feel afterward- remorse or conquered? I know many such thoughts crossed my mind as well while trying to understand his psychology.
It’s no secret that the concept of ‘Women as Men’s possession’ is deeply rooted. Indian men filled with a sense of Domination and masculinity feel entitled to this act, which makes them do such horrific acts. I believe this false sense of entitlement comes from little things at home such as unequal treatment of boy & girl child at home by making them choose different hobbies (Bodybuilding for boy & Cooking for girl), not educating girls after certain age while continuing education of boys, labeling girls as somebody’s Amaanat. While women and men are anatomically different, boys should not mistake this diversity as inferiority. To inculcate correct values, boys need to be taught the importance of kindness, equality, and most importantly consent. Also, as a society, we need to stop this godforsaken stereotype of Paraya-dhan & start grooming our girls not just to make them a good daughter-in-law or a good wife, but as an independent individual who is as much able as boys to take care of themselves.
2)The brutal cover-up: After this horrific act Police: Kanoon ke rakhwale does everything in its power to hinder the process. An institution whose sole purpose is to make people feel safe by enforcing the law and reduce civil disorder will go to lengths to break the same kanoon by tempering witnesses, producing false reports, and assassinating the girl’s character. (In some cases even the girl!). While seeing this I recall what a high court Justice one said: “Police is the biggest organized gang of criminals”. Today, the Protector of the Realm — The Police has become nothing but an intimidating instrument of the government in power. And why would they not do so — their postings and promotions are decided not by merit or experience but by caste, political affiliations, and proximity to the political masters.
In a democratic society, these political masters have fear of losing elections next term. Imagine how they would go to a daughter’s places asking for votes if such an incident has happened there. So the cycle starts. To get the tickets next election, Councilor pleases MLAs; MLA pleases CM, and CM pleases PM that everything is fine in his constituency. It’s just a little hiccup and the Taandav continues till the family loses hope or gets killed. And if they fail to do so, needless to say, they always have the authority to define what law is, selectively pursue it & take it to a logical end. They can always pass a law that can arrest anyone as they are masters in finding loopholes & making laws that suit themselves.
But what is the solution, as we stuck in this giant wheel of Democracy, these things will keep happening. Will we be able to ever stop it? What if The Legislative & Executives change & do sincere efforts to remedy the situation. I wonder how people will react to this change, whether more people would vote for a government if they see some sincerity in actions or they won’t…Hard to Say!
3)The helpless Judiciary: When I heard the news that Nirbhaya Case defense lawyer will represent Hathras Case accused, a chill ran down my spine. I simply could not understand it. Why I asked?? But you know what — The constitution gives the right to accused to get a fair representation during trails & our favorite quote comes in — Innocent until proven guilty. Well, this is not the only apathy. Look at every angle of our judicial system such as Judge-population ratio, arrest vs. conviction, % pending cases, clearance rate.
But what can The Judiciary do? They just guardians of the law, the law created by the same political masters. A law that binds the TV channels to protect the identity of the girl, who is already dead, A law that let go of an accused just because witnesses changed their statements and A Law that becomes so impotent because of its loopholes that it fails to breathe.
4)And Again — We, the People: Though we have a poor literacy rate, it doesn’t take a genius to understand the juggernaut of our democracy. I believe we see everything, understand & then let go. But why so? Because our myopic vision doesn’t allow us to see past a few liquor bottles or winter shawls to choose the right representative. The gullible Indian, who just can’t see through the lies of a politician during the campaign, sulks afterward for not getting his attention for 5 years. But what can we do? We face a severe lack of electoral alternative in this 1.35 B population. This reminds me of a story.
A prisoner in an old kingdom was asked to either eat 100 onions or get 100 slaps as a punishment. Thinking it’s easy to eat onion, he went ahead with that, but after eating a few he realized that he was wrong. So he changed to slaps, the same thing happened. After a few slaps, he realized that it’s even harder, so he changed back to Onions, and then again to slaps… and the cycle continued.
I believe we, the people in a democracy are stuck in a similar dark loop, from which bahar nikalna muskhil hi nahi namumkin hai !! Every five years we change from onions to slaps and then go back to onions. So, it’s either NAMO or RAGA. The choice is yours. 🙂
Find my work interesting, Follow my blog for more content !!
