Your Crime Versus Your Crime

B L Saraf
It has become the most disreputable tale of the day. And, to our misfortune the day comes off and on. On the top of it, we the unfortunate mortals are condemned to listen it, minute by minute, from all corners. Tale of ” Your crime Versus Your crime ” may be titled in the Second person but when heard carefully, it makes a clear cut battle between First Person and The Second Person – between Me and You -where one party wants to score over the other and hurl a taunt that ” your crime is worse than mine.” In the present context, the parties to the battle are , BJP on one side and the INC on the other. This has turned into a competition in absurdities.
Immediate “Inspiration” of the tale is the ” Hathras Shame.” A 19 year old girl of the village Hathrras,in State of the UP, was allegedly raped and then murdered by some young men of the locality. The heinous act caused a widespread anger among the countrymen and everyone blamed UP Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath, for failing to avert commission of offence and called in question his administrative capabilities to curb crime in the state. Local police and administrative machinery were , in particular, accused of being incompetent and prejudiced against the victims’ family. What made things worse for CM Yogi was the mid night cremation of the dead victim girl done by local police, in total disregard of Hindu tradition and religious rites. People described it , not without a reason, as most outrageous act. Hathras incident is not the first of its kind that has occurred in UP, under present CM. Many such incidents took place where mighty and powerful politicians of the ruling party were, allegedly, found involved. At some places, the ‘ bahubalis ‘ of other political parties did not lag behind in the dishonorable race.
As it has become a routine, all TV Channels went ballistic , collected the ” assorted and convenient ” faces to show a “feigned indignity ” and shower pearls of wisdom, as how to cure the system. Naturally, BJP Government in U P and its CM were put in the dock. Opposition political parties also went after BJP and Adityanath. Finding itself cornered, the BJP soon shifted the scene to Rajasthan where , incidentally, the graph of crime committed against women is also on the rise. So, now INC and CM Gehlot had to face the music.
We leave political parties to their games. However, the question begs answer : will a crime committed against a young girl in one state, ruled by one political party, get condoned by a commission of similar kind of crime in other state, ruled by other political dispensation?
The petty minded politicians must understand that, no matter, wherever a crime against women takes place it brings shame to the whole country. And when an element of caste and class is interjected in the sordid drama the society at large gets lacerated. Rape is not only an assault on the physical body of the victim but also it totally destroys her emotional and psychological being.
There should be no hesitation in accepting that ours has become a decadent society. Such abhorrent crimes don’t scratch our conscience. Perhaps , that explains our indifference and shrug off attitude towards these diabolical offences : with the result the perpetrators walkout scot free with a sense of impunity. Our moral fabric has worn out, thanks largely to a cunning and manipulative politician.
The most shameful side of the story is that in order to evade responsibility and accountability we tend to draw equivalences even in the commission of crime. BJP spokesperson and their convenient TV Anchors plus opinion makers gloat over an insignificant medical report which is referred to show that no rape was committed on the Hathras victim. They plead innocence and blame Congress Government of Rajasthan where, according to them, girls are sexual assaulted, regularly. How does it matter what the BJP spokespersons say that there is no conclusive proof of sexual assault on the victim. Shorn off the legal niceties, the incident has enough ingredients to shame the UP administration, in particular. How will the CM -a Yogi – explain murder of a poor and disempowered girl – and on what Dharama parameter the protector of faith can justify the midnight – almost stealth – cremation of a Hindu.
Having an impeccable spiritual upbringing and an demonstrable religious outlook , people expect a ‘ Yogi ‘ CM to be a role model. So, he has to act extraordinarily and not get distracted from the task by insignificant legal niceties ,or nauseating comparisons. All administrative and spiritual measures must be employed to give real justice to the poor victim. Payment of cash compensation is not equivalent to the justice which the real culprits should be brought to. Life of a person and especially the chastity and honor of a young girl are too precious to be bartered away like commodities. Nor can their loss be equaled by cash or other considerations. CM Yogi fully knows that concept of Blood Money is alien to our culture.
CM Adityanath must stop the SIT, constituted prior to his order of handing over the matter to the CBI, from proceeding with the investigation of the crime.Instead of doing a fair job the SIT is turning rules of crime detection on their head. As reported by the media the special team is proposing a Norco test on the family members of the victim rather than putting accused to such a test. The job should be totally left to the CBI.
Similarly, questions must be asked on the rising crime graph in Rajasthan. The INC cannot be selective in showing the indignation. Party High Command must seek explanation from the State’s CM in this regard which will lend moral authority to it while blaming UP CM for the Hathras incident. But it won’t be done because politicians, these days, do not rely on agenda of social reconstruction, or for that matter any agenda, except the manipulative one which ensures their hold on political and administrative power. They don’t have any regard for the ‘means ‘, all that matters to them is the ‘end ‘. Political parties believe in event management and distraction from the real issues confronted by the people. Barring few, politicians, of any color or hue, are hugely disappointing.
(The author is former Principal District and Sessions Judge)
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