Let law take its course, not state-sponsored goondaism

Cases of rapes and gang rapes continue to be reported from all over the country and nothing deters the rapists even the hanging of Nirbhaya rapists. Hathras rape and murder of a 19 years old girl speaks of the horrors in which young girls live their lives. Those who are politicising the incidents and parties who are showing their commitment to the victims are those parties in opposition which had covered almost similar several cases when they were in power. Nothing has changed. BJP shall cry for the blood for the rapists and gun for the government wherever they are not in power but will behave differently in states where they are in power.

UP police is not covering itself with any glory the way they are handling this case. Disposing body in the dead of night and forcing family members to do the same, now disputing the rape theory are all signs of hushing up case on casteist lines. Girl belonged to Dalit caste and all rapists are Thakurs, the same caste to which CM Yogi belongs.

Yogi government had earlier tried to scuttle case of rape against its own MLA Sengar but alert media and courts intervened. Its pity that fate of under privileged classes depends upon the whims and fancies of politicians, not by the law. Other thing is that people have double standards to deal with the problem. Thanks if they find culprits belonged to their caste, they change the narrative. Why is it so the sympathies are not always with the victims?.

Why stringent laws like capital punishment is not considered enough to put fears in the minds of rapists, there is a need to go deep into the psyche of a rapist, if we really want to deal with it.

It's not the severity of punishment but certainty of punishment which needs to be built in the system. Even fast track courts will find it difficult to punish culprits because of insufficient forensics. Most of culprits gets bailed out and acquitted from courts because of police's shoddy work. So need is to tighten and modernize the forensics and make fool proof cases rather than showing phoney concerns.

Other option of eliminating culprits through extra judicial methods, like what Telangana Govt did to four rapists while escorting them to courts is no solution at all. Now, if BJP Gen. secretary Vijayvargiya goes on record that in 'Yogi Jee govt car can turn anytime' is a tacit approval that car which was carrying gangster Dubey turned turtle and now what can happen to the rapists is unfortunate. If elected governments start behaving like this and feel that current crop of laws is insufficient to deal with such tragedies, it's time for all the parties to sit and evolve strategies rather than browbeat each other with sham protests and rallies. Where is the justice for the victim?. Either political parties are playing some goonda game or goondas are ruling the streets. We want law to take the course, not state goondaism to deal with the goondas.

Hathras case not only to be tried in fast track courts, complete forensics to nail the culprits and hang them. That would be closure and put fear into the minds of rapists.

Ashok Goswami, Mumbai

The police know the victim's family is powerless

It is indeed a shame on India that girls are being gang raped and the accused are getting off scot-free by either greasing the palm of police officers or intense lobbying on behalf of the perpetrators of crime. In the recent gang rape case in Hathras in Uttar Pradesh, the police's role was highly contemptible. In a sheer mockery of justice, the police clearly tried to manipulate the case as there were attempts from the higher-ups to hush up the case. In the dying declaration of the rape victim, it was stated that she was gangraped by four men, but the police on Thursday claimed that the forensic report has revealed that the woman was not raped. The administration has also come under a cloud for allegedly threatening the family members of the victim.

The police version of the death of the rape victim in Hathras is that the woman's death caused due to an injury on the neck and resultant trauma. Unfortunately, they were less concerned about the cruel killing of the woman and wanted to pass it off as a normal death. Just think how callous the police is towards such brutal killing of the young woman . Furthermore, they face charges of cover-up the entire murder story.

Another glaring lapse on the part of police was their deliberate attempt to deny the victim the dignity of traditional cremation. In the dead of night, the rape victim was hurriedly consigned to flames leaving no clues at all to trace from her mortal body. If she had been buried, investigation team could have exhumed her body and retest on her body could have been done.

So, it is to be assumed that the police did everything with the deliberate plan to end the murder story there itself at the behest of some political higher-ups in the state. They knew well that the family of the rape victim had neither political clout nor wealth to pursue their case till its successful end of getting justice.

Cries for justice are being heard for the Hathras' rape victim across the country. Moreover, millions of people are keenly watching the developments of the rape episode whether the UP government will investigate properly or not.

Congress party with its attempt to get justice for the rape victim's family has started waging battles, and Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi made a beeline for Hathras to meet the gangrape victim's family without making any announcement beforehand. But as usual, the two Congress leaders were stopped earlier by the police administration citing law and order. So, it is good to see that Congress leaders at last got out to express their solidarity with the people protesting over the gangrape case.

There is no doubt that the Hathras' gangrape case has not only tarnished the image of the police and the administration but the entire country. The reputation of the UP government has also been tarnished after allegations of forcible funeral of this Dalit woman by the police.The lacunae left in the attempts to cover up the gruesome rape and murder of the hapless young woman stand as towering testimonies against the Yogi administration.

Yes, the rape victim's soul is supposed to be waging a lone and strong battle against the Yogi administration since the earthly mortals miserably fail to retribute the perpetrators. Still, time is not lapsed for Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to correct himself by taking stern action against the police officials who have been found favouring the rape-accused and Yogi has to see that the perpetrators get their due punishment.

T K Nandanan, Kochi

Inhuman horror

The rising inhuman horrors and heinous crimes on the girls, women, Dalits and the minorities in the country is extremely alarming and bothersome. Even the Prime Minister has expressed his concern on the inhuman Hathras rape incident where in the victim's tongue was cut off, spinal cord broken.

I believe we need a cultural shift, a radical change in mindsets towards Humanism, towards Social harmony, and the true spirits of Vasudhaika Kutumbam (universal brotherhood) are to be promoted in the society. These values and principles form the bedrock of Indian democracy and strengthen its social fabric. Hope we raise the bar collectively as a society.

Sri Harsha Gajjarapu,Mandapeta

A blot on our democracy

Rape of helpless women are not only disquieting and disturbing but a grim pointer to how a situation can get out of control when parochial sentiments are left untouched. On account of cold-blooded rape of Hathras Dalit girl and cases of rape at various places across the country reported frequently, our democracy only stands discredited everytime. Further, it mars democracy when countless other underprivileged and vulberable young women are falling prey to monsters. The harsh truth that rape cases rising rampantly year after year since past two decades points to the fact that rape is almost culturally sanctioned in India.

In the past few days, minor girls raped and murdered brutally in Jammu and parts of UP sending shock waves across the country makes one shudder at the apathetic attitude which only emboldened the perpetrators to commit heinous crimes without fear of law. The sheer and unspeakable brutality of the gang-rape of a 19-year old Dalit girl in a village in UP is virtually a symbol of rot that has set in our system is a fall-out to collective indifference of callous administration, law-enforcing machinery that has engulfed the society.

Even as the nation is in deep shock and angry over prevailing lawlessness, what is more horrifying is the manner in which police tried to hush up by doing cremation in haste at midnight without the consent of family members? This is unpardonable by any yardstick. As inflicting ignominy on the family of Hathras victim by police no matter how much defense they attribute is clearly visible, their actions to deny the victim dignity in death by not allowing family members to have a last look at the body is also crime. In short, this terrifying incident is certainly going to haunt the families for years to come.

Notwithstanding the fact that large-scale anger and protests by opposition in the northern belt erupted due to rise of rape cases in UP, it is quite correct and understandable that UP cops have stopped opposition party leaders from entering Hathras and meeting the victim's family who were deeply disturbed at the loss of the girl citing epidemic.

However, keeping in view that rape convictions remaining low, slack in preventing such crimes, particularly against dalits by the law-enforcing agencies on account of deep prejudices in the rank and file, the need of the hour is high-decibel policing and greater accountability against caste and gender based oppressions more than making cosmetic changes in laws which only saw fear of punishment disappeared in perpetrators.

In the final analysis, it is time political parties stop shedding crocodile tears and lip sympathy which seem only to score brownie points to build vote banks than helping the cause to prevent such heinous crimes on women which are a blot on the society.

K R Srinivasan, Secunderabad