Shame

With rape cases increasing all over India, there is one thing, which needs to be looked at. Are women safe in any part of our country? Whether in the capital or elsewhere, the rapists seem determined to intentionally hurt a woman's modesty, disrupt peace, and cause pain and anger to their victims. What seemed to be a crime limited to only the uneducated and illiterate masses has now grown multifold in various parts of the nation and seemed to have endangered the safety of women everywhere. But, in spite of all this, our judiciary has not been able to come up with adequate amendments in our penal code or a strict police action. The integrity of our police force is debatable taking into account their recent lack of interest and show of sluggishness in the Punjab rape case. The victim committed suicide after facing threats from the perpetrators, apathy from the police, and ignominy. India hung its head in shame after the President's son made some``dented and painted" remarks against the protestors crying for justice for the victim. Rape, fear from the criminals, dereliction of duty by the police, long duration of trials, and inadequate implementation of the laws have added to the existing problems in our society. Where, on one hand, we had people who wanted to join defence or police force to serve our society, now we are faced with some exceptional characters inside the police force who ring up in the houses of common people to threaten them and ask for apology letters (as in the recent case of Parliament street police station). India shining seems to have lost its lustre with the recent upsurge of crimes against women. It is ironical that one hand we refer to our country as our motherland and on the other hand, our society lacks respect, esteem, reverance, and consideration for women. In our quest for a modern environment, we seem to have lost out on our culture and moral values, which are needed to strengthen and guard the roots of any society.