An Eye for an Eye

Every 6 minutes, a woman is raped in our country. In these 6 minutes, you may be brewing coffee, sending a work email, working out, or studying. In these 6 minutes, at least one person out there is feeling entirely helpless, and their bodily rights are being violated. In fact, by the time this article is published, an estimated 240 women would have been brutally violated. 

Twelve years after the horrific Nirbhaya gang rape, our country is at a standstill. On August 9th, 2024, Moumitha Debnath was sexually assaulted, tortured and murdered while on-duty at the RG Kar Medical College, Kolkata. The police reported that Sanjay Roy, a civic volunteer, had confessed to the gruesome attack. And yet, the victim's parents were called by the Assistant Superintendent of Chest Medicine and informed that their daughter had committed suicide. Moumitha Debnath was raped and murdered, and yet she was blamed for her death despite clear indicative evidence of torture. This raises the question of how sound justice is in our country; if a medical trainee was sexually assaulted and then blamed for her demise, is the system working for victims or for perpetrators? 

The RG Kar case has plagued the country with concern for women’s safety and outrage at the blatant mishandling of evidence. Because it occurred a mere one week prior to Independence Day, many social media protestors refused to celebrate our nation’s independence and instead argued that women are not truly independent, even in a post-colonial, democratic nation. Some argue “not all men” are assaulters and womanisers, while others say “not enough men” are fighting for gender equality and women’s safety. It is undeniably unfair to categorise every male as a proponent of violence and assault, but unless we reconsider societal values and teachings, and further question political ideals and policies, every man has the potential to be a threat in the eyes of a woman walking alone at night. 

Some say, “instead of propagating Har Ghar Tiranga, we should start, Har Aurat Suraksha.” Perhaps this is intrinsically necessary. Our country may be geopolitically and economically independent, but Indian women are still dependent on others for their safety. The common woman is held back by a multitude of constraints, be it financial or social, and so relies upon politicians to protect her rights. And so it is these politicians we must catechize; it is these politicians who we must hold accountable for the deliverance of justice. Because every one of them makes illustrious promises of change and reform, but when abominable and abhorrent crimes are committed, they simply redirect the blame. 

If you are reading this article as a student, know this: it is not enough to express concern over the safety of your mothers, sisters and friends. It is simply insufficient to say the women you care about will be safe in India if you also plan to leave this country. The sense of patriotism, justice and revolution , which was embedded in our grandparents, is seemingly lost in our generation, replaced by aspirations for wealth and fame. Aim for financial success. Do not change your goals; change your mindset regarding where those goals can be achieved. Because if we do not use our individual and collective agency to bring forth positive reform, in another 10 years, another 3,00,000 women will be assaulted by strangers or those they trust, merely for existing. If we do not enforce harsher and perhaps capital punishment for rapists, there is nothing forestalling assaulters from their extreme endeavours. Yes, when a woman is raped, it is not the same as a murder. But her life will be forever changed. She will never look at a man the same, and she will continually mistrust those around her. That extreme alteration in the physical, mental and emotional life of a woman demands the life of the offender. When Mahatma Gandhi said, “an eye for an eye will make the whole world blind”, he was referring to a peaceful struggle for an independent India. But when we are debating the assault of a woman, the Babylonian principles of justice must be enforced— not only as a punishment, but as a deterrent for future crimes.  -Samhita Madakshira