Yet another mother has lost a daughter to rape

It was shocking to read about yet another Nirbhaya-like rape murder in India last week. It is difficult to imagine that something like this could have happened in a state like Kerala, where people often harp that it is a literate state.

When the Nirbhaya incident took place, people commented that it happened because she was roaming around with her boyfriend late at night. What would these same people have to say about this new incident, which occurred at the victim’s home in broad daylight? I question the state of mind of these attackers. Did they have any idea what they were doing or did they feel the pain of the woman they were attacking? What kind of pleasure can a person derive from such cruelty? It would be easy to brand them as mentally unstable but that would eventually help save them from the legal system. How would these people react if the same incident happened to a relative or a friend? Do they not realise that their families and friends are equally vulnerable to such crimes? Would they be able to tolerate that? It seems women are no longer safe within the four walls of their own homes, forget about the torture she might face at her workplace and in public places.

We have always been taught that human beings require a house to protect them from sun, rain and wild animals. It has now been proven that our houses can no longer protect women from so-called human ‘wild animals’.

In Kerala, the elections are scheduled on May 16 and almost all political party leaders have visited Jisha’s house and offered their help. However, the United Democratic Front (UDF) government and Chief Minister Oommen Chandy were too busy allotting acres of land to criminals and rich people. Besides, why would they bother looking after the grievances of poor people like Jisha?

— The reader is an Indian logistics manager based in Dubai