Anger, anguish, shock, shame ...........

Anger, anguish , shock ,  pain, shame  and what not ! The unfortunate gruesome incident of gang rape in Delhi , in a  moving bus on the night of December 16  gave  me another reason  to be ashamed of being an Indian ! With all the culprits in custody now, and the trial already begun, one hopes that the culprits are  brought to justice as early as possible  through a speedy trial. One shudders to think or visualize what Damini or Nirbhaya  went through  at the hands of  criminals .The fact  that there were protests, and candle marches  across the length and breadth of the  nation  can hardly wipe out the insensitivity shown by  the passersby  in vehicles and  onlookers ( including women) who did not even bother to cover the naked  bodies of  two victims – the condition in which  the criminals had  thrown  them on the road   and to take them to the nearest hospital  at least  for first aid , badly and immediately required !  Much of the time was wasted in waiting for the Police,  who on arrival at least bothered to cover the bodies and took  the victims to the hospital. The 23 year old  brave heart  succumbed to  injuries and hurt  after struggling for life  for quite a few days, raising  questions about the  safety of women and the law & order situation  gone in shambles. In the aftermath there have been various  debates and discussions on TV channels. One is about   reducing the upper  age cap  from 18 years to  16 years for  adolescent   criminals euphemistically  called wrong doers. The name and identity of the seventeen- plus   perpetrator of the crime has not been disclosed  , while as per reports it was he who beat the victim most  mercilessly. On a personal note , I am not in favour of any leniency  being shown to him simply because he happens to be or rather supposed to be a  ‘minor’ and as such required to be dealt in accordance with the Juvenile Justice  system. His name and identity should be disclosed so that along with others, people come to know this   ‘dharti ka lal ‘  as well . These days kids become  mature much earlier – especially those who are exposed to the rough and tumble of life  early , forced by circumstances or otherwise. I see little hope or redemption for this guy , who if  let off   without punishment may be goaded on to  go for the  bigger kill !  While no amount of tears can   bring back Damini , India has woken up to a reality  and the situation , women in this country face. The punishment for rape has to be deterrent as even after December 16 , incidents of rape and molestation have shown no let up  and  are continuously being reported from various parts of the country. The 10 year sentence passed by  a Hoshiarpur court on a rapist after a  trial   lasting only 7-8 days    does bring some hope . One hopes for  a  similar quick justice in the Delhi gang rape   case also !