Has tolerance become a democratic malady?

In Harish Khare's article, ``The temptation of anarchy" I found lines, ``It is tempting to suggest that stringent laws and stronger police presence alone would help roll back habits of violence against women. A major pre-requisite has to be a culture of dignity and respect for women" whose meaning I failed to understand. In a country like India, where women are not given due respect even in their own houses, can we expect men outside their families to look at the opposite gender with esteem and value as themselves? Easily said that laws cannot be secured on streets, but has not the mob been successful enough to sensitize the fact that we Indians need to do away with our insensitive government? But the biggest hitch lies in the fact that the peaceful protests carried out by people are being interfered with by hooligans and anti-social elements. Till date the protests, which were being carried out for justice have suddenly become a tool for the opportunistic politicians and miscreants to create an environment that has hung our heads in shame. Where on one hand the liberal sensitivities of the slowly increasing crowd were offended by lathi charge, tear gas, and water canons, petty politicians hungry for power fuelled the situation by mobilizing the crowd against the police by sending in their law breakers capable of arson and spreading disrupt among the peace loving people. Law against crimes like rape, eve-teasing, harassment (physical or emotional), domestic violence, and rape in marriage need to be put in place and our leaders need to understand the fact that a nation cannot progress if perpetrators of crime are allowed to remain in open for long. Capital punishment may not be the ultimate solution, but it is a good solution in itself. Castration can help, but the questions remain, ``Are the rapists only to be castrated? How many men need to be castrated? How many men would be willing to get castrated?" Tolerance is good, but as long as matters are within our endurance levels. Being in a democratic environment does not make us liable to tolerate anything and everything. Tolerance should be a quality but not a deprivation from tranquility and societal peace. Surely, we cannot make laws on our roads, but we as Indians can stand up together for justice that is wanted by and for all. We can stand up and let our countrymen know that the feeling of morality has not yet faded away from our conscience. We are still one and need to remain one despite the caste and communal barriers created by our power hungry politicians and the quota systems initiated and boosted by some petty forces beyond our reach.