Death of Empathy: Kolkata’s brutal crime demands accountability
When political games overshadow justice, women across India continue to pay the price
No women any where in the world want to be “Nirbhaya” (fearless) — the gang rape and murder case of Jyoti in a moving bus in New Delhi, India drew widespread international attention more than a decade ago and was one of the reasons for the Manmohan Singh government to be voted out of power.
Now as the monstrous rape and murder of a young gold medallist doctor in the Radha Govinda Kar hospital, the grotesque attempts at cover up and the grotesque attempts at a cover up shock us they are calling her “Abhaya” (another name for fearless).
No woman wants to be any variant of fearless in life if it involves being raped and murdered.
Reaching the top of their profession for which they work relentlessly, enjoying the family life they live for being their for the parents they love and being allowed to pursue a normal existence.
In the case of the young doctor people expected better from Mamata Banerjee, the Chief Minister of West Bengal — India’s only woman CM who describes herself as “Didi”.
Banerjee has led a hard scrabble life to get to the political top even facing violent attacks which led to her hospitalisation on several occasions, yet she seems to barely feel any empathy with women victims.
In the horrific Kolkata case, the victim’s family was first told she committed suicide then they had to wait six hours to see her body. Her father took a picture (his last image of his daughter) which was a horrific composition, and no clear cut answers where the thuggish college principal with a poor track record initially tried to victim blame.
It took a Kolkata High Court order to remove him. The Trinamool Congress which prides itself on women power with a clutch of feisty high profile women politicians made themselves “lapata ladies” (vanishing women) for the first 48 hours.
Mahua Moitra firebrand Lok Sabha MP, quick to lament the death of democracy and Sagarika Ghosh Rajya Sabha MP, blocked handles asking them angry questions on social media.
Meaningless condemnations
Later both the women put out anodyne condemnations which were meaningless.
As the rage spills over in the streets of Kolkata this could be another Shiela Dikshit moment for Banerjee as the late Delhi CM was unseated from power in the Nirbhaya case. But, again don’t be fooled it’s only ugly politics by other means.
Governments were changed after the horrific Nirbhaya case but, nothing changed for Indian women. A committee was set up recommendations were made but, the rapes and murders continued.
My teeth clench uncontrollably as I key in the tragic roll call eight year old Asifa, gang raped and murdered, the Unnao victim, the Hathras victim cremated at midnight by cops to ensure that no evidence remained.
In the past 24 hours — a spate of abuses on women have taken place across India, so let’s stop the politics. A rape can happen anywhere; what is consequential is what happens subsequently. When the police indulge in a cover up as was done in Kolkata, it is a total indictment of the politicians in power.
But, are any other political parties in India any different or even remotely better. Remember our Olympic wrestlers including national hero Vinesh Phoghat and how they had to protest in the street face police beating and social media slandering for asking for action against alleged serial sexual harasser the former Wrestling body chief powerful BJP politician Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
The BJP government refused to act the then Woman and Child Welfare Minister, Smriti Irani maintained a deafening silence on all the cases involving BJP ruled states and politicians.
Crying hoarse
Now post losing the Amethi election Irani is crying hoarse on the Kolkata case to try and stage a political comeback. Mayawati former CM of Uttar Pradesh had to hide in a guesthouse to save herself from a rowdy Samajwadi Party cadre mob and the late Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalitha was nearly disrobed inside the TN assembly.
Which is why the lack of empathy from women politicians is shocking. Politicians across party lines know that the rage and anger will abate and they shamelessly wait for it to happen while trying to do politics on such tragedy.
SWAT EXTRA: Just ahead of the Jharkhand elections, the BJP has been successful in splitting the JMM which will help its prospects. Also I can exclusively report, a huge thaw between DMK led by MK Stalin, Tamil Nadu CM, and the Modi-led BJP. Expect some big projects for TN soon.