System requires revamping
The Kathua incident shows that the attitude of people has not changed since the December 2012 Nirbhaya case (“Group accused of gang raping, killing Indian girl plead not guilty”, Gulf News, April 17). The framework of democracy still allows the legal system to prolong a cases of such extreme nature, thus indirectly permits the cowardice to continue the act of aggression. The extreme political involvement has turned to be a spur for a section of the society to continue with such aggressive approach against women and children. Even though the Nirbhaya case had a widespread national and international outrage, justice was not delivered to the family of the deceased. As social media has become a platform for people to share their feelings, it is unfortunate that people continue to misuse their freedom of choice. The Kathua has become a black spot on the face of secular India, therefore the prevailing system needs a complete revamp in order to deliver justice to people.
From Mr Ramachandran Nair
Oman
Aiding the crime
Crimes against women in India have sadly become a common occurrence. It is very unfortunate that minor girls as young as six or seven years of age are now being targeted, raped and brutally murdered. While no government would like to promote anything negative, the current happenings and the Indian government’s inability to punish the culprits in recent rape cases proves otherwise. I believe not speaking or taking action against any sort of injustice or crime is equivalent to taking part in it, and the Indian government is doing just that by allowing criminals to walk free.
From Ms Fatima Suhail
Sharjah
India: Rape capital
India has suddenly gained the distinction of being the ‘rape capital’ of the world. Surprisingly, the ancient land of sages and cultural heritage has become the land where women and even small girls are unsafe and feel scared to walk around the streets even during the day. The Narendra Modi government which declares from house tops that they would protect women and treat them like deities, have failed and owe an explanation to the nation.
From Mr Thomas Matthew
India
Calling Modi to stand up and be counted
Ordinary citizens across India have been protesting against the silence and inaction of the authorities, against the perpetuators of the recent rapes. The Government must act. The guilty must be arrested, tried in fast-track courts, to prevent such inhuman acts again. It is indeed shocking that the rapes in the Jammu and Kashmir region were carried out in a temple, a place of worship. This is horrendous. How inhuman and brutal can we get? All persons convicted of rape and their families should be ostracised. Prime Minister Modi should take a strong stance on this inhuman issue. He should lead from the front, as when he launched the campaign, ‘Beti Bachao’ (Save our Daughters), some years ago.
From Mr Rajendra Aneja
UAE
Raise your voice, fight
Sometimes it’s ‘justice for Zainab’, sometimes it’s ‘justice for Asifa’. The name changes, the hashtag remains. Whether its in Pakistan or India, our problems are the same. In both scenarios, it’s a little girl-child who had to suffer. Can we finally do more than just put up a status with a hashtag. Raise your voice, be more vigilant. Stop telling people not to talk about it. If we don’t talk about it, how will we educate one another? How many more Zainabs and Asifas will it take for this world to finally wake up? How many more Zainabs and Asifas will it take for our soul to be awakened in its ‘true’ sense? By not punishing the culprit, the government is increasing the courage within such disgusting people because they feel like they won’t be held accountable for their actions. The punishment should be so severe and should set an example that no one would even think of committing such a heinous crime. Governments tend to make a mountain out of a molehill of issues that don’t really need to be addressed or aren’t grievous enough to be brought to court after so many years but crimes such as this one which need to be immediately dealt with are overlooked? How’s that fair?
From Ms Aqsa Adil
Dubai
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