It still haunts me every day…

When December 16 comes closer each year, my heart starts beating faster. Perhaps I am the only one who is still not over the Delhi gang rape case, involving Jyoti Singh, also known as India’s daughter. I ask myself why did this happen in the first place? Why rape? If someone really wants to have intimate relations, there are other ways to do it. Why force another human being?

The Delhi gang rape case has always made me question myself about how safe I am in India. If I go to my hometown for just two weeks, I feel scared. After such a shocking incident, gang rapes continue to occur in the country. Thinking about the state of Singh, I just wish I could hug her and somehow save her, which of course, is impossible. She is no more. What was her mistake? Even the usual excuses can’t be used. She wasn’t wearing short clothes. She wasn’t using private transport. She was even accompanied by someone.

The aspect that was even more saddening was that the juvenile involved in the rape, was given bail with a different identity, and was given money to start a new life. Is this even justified? In my opinion, no. The pain and the torture that Singh faced can in no way be compared to the punishment, which the criminals received. They shouldn’t have been hanged. Instead, they should have been punished for a long time.

In the end, the family has gotten justice, according to the Indian Constitution. Not completely, but they did get some. Looking at the point of view of the parents, I feel numb. They had truly given birth to a really talented, courageous woman. We respect her. May she rest in peace.

The one thing that her mother said, always gets me down: “When will every girl in this country walk in the streets without fear?” Think about it.

I should be over it, but I am not. It still haunts me every day.

- The reader is a student based in Dubai.