Dubai: The rape case that has traumatised India for the last few weeks has also considerably shaken the image I have in my mind of a country I have not seen. Simply, it made me lose any interest in visiting India in the future.
I don’t mean to sound offensive, but the barbaric crime has deleted all images of the stunning and generous nature, rich history and great culture of India. Bright images were replaced by ugly details. And unfortunately, the charm of the Taj Mahal I read about was swapped with a fictional image of a raped woman dumped on a muddy side road.
The nitty-gritty of the rape of the 23-year-old student on a public bus in New Delhi has left me with the idea that India is a scary and unsafe place to visit.
Shivers ran down my spine when I read the details of the case, and I was left disgusted when I read the debate of how to handle the culprits. And even worse was to read the argument that one of them is a juvenile.
What about the 32-year-old man who was arrested for allegedly raping and killing a 9-year-old girl two weeks earlier?
Some would argue that rape happens everywhere and in higher rates than India. My response is that this doesn’t mean that it is an acceptable matter.
The New Delhi incident is a horrible case that received such huge attention from different parts of the world. Also, in other countries, some rape cases go unreported, or unpunished. Some others happened in areas that are known as gangs’ areas, but on a public bus?!
The sad drama accompanying the case has even erased the positive conclusion of the once big-hit Indian movie ‘Monsoon Wedding’. Unfortunately, not always does good win over evil. The raped woman in New Delhi died of organ failure.
If I had a magic wand, I would change the laws in the whole world that mean harsh punishment for rape. But for now, India, to me, is not a place to visit.
