Sexual predators have our support — mindsets matter

The Lok Sabha has given its approval to the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2013 that prescribes stringent punishment to sex offenders; however, the voices of prominent parliamentarians show how the mindsets have hardly changed.

JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav’s ‘humorous’ reminder, “Who among us have not followed girls,” may have evoked peels of laughter in the House, but there is nothing funny about it. Even while passing a law to protect women, he has indirectly supported stalking.

I am sure thousands of women across the country who are stalked do not agree with the JD(U) leader. There are frequent reports of stalkers attacking women for spurning their advances or refusing proposals of marriage. May be the likes of Sharad Yadav should see the faces of those women disfigured in acid attacks by jilted Romeos before coming up with these funny one-liners.

Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav was also equally worried about the law being misused or abused to settle personal scores. He also fears that co-education will have to be abolished to protect boys from legal trouble. SP parliamentarian Shailendra Kumar expressed his worries about the provocative dressing of female actors in television serials and movies.

For all the thunder over the ‘controversial’ law, hardly one-third of the members were present in the House.

If these satraps think that the good old way of life should continue, they are also supporting institutions like khap panchayats that order physical and sexual abuse of women as modes of punishment. The recent incident of Punjab cops thrashing a woman who approached them to complain about eve-teasers speaks volumes about what is ailing our system.

Every time there is a sexual assault, cops, politicians and ‘spiritual leaders’ don’t waste time in blaming the victim. How can there be any hope for women of this country when those in charge of creating and maintaining the machinery that is supposed to protect have a mindset that approves and justifies the actions of the perpetrators of sexual violence?

In this great land (Bharat included), assault on women start from the foetal stage itself. If she survives sex determination and selective abortion centres, she enters a world where predators don’t differentiate between children and adults. Throughout her life she is forced to restrict her freedoms for fear of sexual assaults. With every incident of reported sexual violence, her movements are further restricted and this, in turn, curtails her opportunities and makes her more dependent on the patriarchal male (father/brother/husband/son).

No matter how many laws we make, unless we are willing to change our mindset about the inalienable rights of our women, they will never fulfil their objectives.

(This article was published as the editorial column in Postnoon on March 20, 2013.)

Why mullahs and morons fear Kashmir's all-girl band

In another clear indicator of ‘cultural terrorism’ ruling the roost, the Kashmir all-girl band has decided to pull the plug on themselves a day after the Grand Mufti Bashiruddin Ahmad termed singing as un-Islamic and told them to abandon it.

Though a wide range of eminent person, beginning with Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, came out in their support and asked them to rock on ignoring the ‘morons’, the scared girls have decided to call it a day.

While condemning singing, the mullah seems to have forgotten the liberal Sufi-inspired culture of Kashmir and the tolerance of Kashmiriyat. Ever since the Valley began to see the rise of West Asia-funded Wahhabis, the core cultural values of Kashmir has witnessed a decline — usually staring at the business end of a Kalashnikov.

The band, Pragaash (light), symbolises everything the mad mullahs, their Pakistani and West Asian benefactors and the militant groups fear — return of hope and normalcy to the region.

There are some major concerns that arise for those who fan unrest and live reaping its benefits: How can fundamentalists claim the support of a population when teenagers are chilling out with music and not attending terrorist-training camps across the border? What answer will the domestic stooges give their paymasters across the border? When there is peace, stability and semblance of governance in the state, why would youth want to support irrational shutdowns and raise slogans in praise of Pakistan?

These moron mullahs who are never short of ridiculous fatwas may have silenced a few scared teens, but it is not the end. All their diktats, guns, threats and violence put together are not powerful enough to break human spirit.

The clouds of extremism may cover the sunshine of aspirations of the people for a while, but ultimately it will be the radiance of Kashmiriyat that prevails.

When state fails, vigilante rises

"Law and order exists for the purpose of establishing justice and when they fail in this purpose they become the dangerously structured dams that block the flow of social progress."

Martin Luther King 

Much has been the public outrage across the country in general, and the national capital in particular, after the Delhi bus rape incident. The focus has mostly been on safety of women and the flaws in the system that is supposed to protect them.
However, little has been said about the rising danger of vigilante justice — which will find many takers as the ‘system’ continues to fail them.

One such example is an incident that took place in Jharkhand recently when a village meticulously planned and executed the lynching of five men who were constantly molesting women in the locality. After the murders, a mob went to the local police station to take responsibility. 

While this can be considered as an isolated incident, one cannot ignore the rising public discontent when the justice delivery system fails their expectations.

There are tens of thousands of cases every year when people are forced to suffer heavy-handed measures of the state that is supposed to protect them from oppressors. Many ‘development’ projects that are launched with fanfare involve land acquisitions and rarely is this done ensuring adequate compensation to the landowners.

Since many contracts are ‘won’ by benamis of politicians, their methods of coaxing the landowners through threat of violence and, of course, real violence, are invisible to the guardians of law. Considering  there is little difference between the treatment meted out to them by the goons and the police, it is only natural that organisations such as the Maoists are never short of fresh blood.

While the salaried class is squeezed dry through every possible tax and surcharges, the corrupt officials and politicians are having a field day. The rags-to-riches success story of the Indian political class who turn rupee billionaires after spending barely a decade in modestly-paid public offices should put financial moghuls to shame.

The Central government cites constraints of international agreements and refuses to divulge the names of those who have bled the country white and stashed their illicit wealth abroad.

So, while a clerk caught taking a Rs 500-bribe loses his job and spends time in jail, those who siphoned off enough money to feed an entire generation continue to rub shoulders with national leaders and star as outspoken stalwarts of industry.

Even in cases communal violence, response of the state machinery has always been late and on many occasions — complicit. The best example would be 2002 Gujarat riots. While small-fry and thugs have been convicted, the masterminds of the mass murders — executed with meticulous planning and clinical precision — remain untouched. When caste kangaroo courts make a mockery of judiciary and police and continue their reign of unfettered bloodshed, the victims have nowhere to run.

With all institutional mechanism failing to provide justice or protect from injustice and oppression, majority of our population (without the ‘protection’ of a politician or a criminal – now don’t ask me what’s the difference) has been rendered helpless, hopeless, powerless and cornered.

Great minds have made observations such ‘man is a political animal’ and ‘man is a social animal’ — basically an animal with many intellectual facets. And guess what happens when an animal is cornered without any possibility of escape...

(This article was published as the editorial column in Postnoon on December 26, 2012.)

It’s do-or-die for cornered Kiran

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kumar Reddy’s categorical statement that he won’t be pushed around over Telangana statehood heralds a turning a turning point for the embattled CM and his party in the State — for better or worse.

Ever since he took charge after the exit of K Rosaiah, the former cricketer always confined his game to defensive shots as the party’s national leadership kept dilly-dallying on the statehood issue.

Even wave after wave of agitation causing losses of tens of thousands of crores in terms of production, destruction of public property, security, and not the least, investments that went to Karnataka and Tamil Nadu for lack of political stability in the State.

The violent agitations also ensured that the image of the City was sullied. The debris of statues at Tank Bund, barely a kilometre from the Secretariat, is a reminder of the paralysis of the State administration.

Though in power with adequate numbers, the chief minister has been constantly under attack from elements within the party — some blaming his indecisiveness over Telangana, the rest over issues ranging from corruption-tainted ministers to policy blunders.

The constant wrangle for power between the CM and APCC chief Botsa Satyanarayana also undermined Kiran’s ability to command the support of the party’s rank and file. With Botsa and actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi being promoted by some factions as possible replacements, the CM’s continuation in the post was always under doubt. To make matters worse, the numerous visits by national leadership’s envoys never made any credible impact in favour of or against the CM.

The divisions in Congress also resulted in the party being humiliated in bypolls, first by the TRS and then by former chief minister YS Rajashekar Reddy’s son and YSR Congress chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy. Kiran’s inability to stop a scam-tainted political novice from a sizeable chunk of Assembly seats was the ultimate humiliation for the chief minister.

It was at this point that Kiran Kumar Reddy realised that personal political oblivion and decimation of the party was at the doorstep. And ever since, the CM has taken the route of squarely confronting political adversaries.

The CM made it clear that he  will be at the helm till 2014 and rubbished suggestions to the contrary. This was also an open challenge his critics within the Congress to come out and confront him. Kiran’s gamble paid off as, with a series of electoral defeats in the backdrop, no one could muster enough courage to stage a coup and face the prospect of snap elections.

The latest statement of ‘enough is enough’ shows that the party’s national leadership sees Kiran Kumar Reddy as the best bet for the Congress in these testing times.

However, there are more challenges that await the CM. He will have to get the Telangana leaders of the party to either fall in line or keep quiet. With the Telangana agitation going out of KCR’s control, Kiran will have to decide whom he should woo and whom to ignore.

He also needs to get his act together as the head of the Council of Ministers and ensure that the complacence and paralysis that has become the trademark of administration are done away with.

The fate of the government, the Congress and Hyderabad now hinges on the ability of Kiran Kumar Reddy to walk the talk.

(This article was published as the editorial column in Postnoon on October 3, 2012)

Rushdie’s right: Blasphemy is good

If Salman Rushdie was worried if his brand of defiance was passé, the recent upgrading of the bounty on his head (by $500,000) would come as a great relief. And in a subsequent interview, the author reiterated his belief that blasphemy is necessary to promote modern thinking.

Whether he intended it or not, the Booker-winning author has brought into focus one usually-ignored truth — that blasphemy has brought about progress and development as we see it.

The development of science has always been in the blasphemous path and many men who followed reason gave their lives for it. If they hadn’t challenged the faith-driven interpretations of nature, we would have been still with medieval mindsets.

*Imagine the whole world believing than someone created the first man from dirt and a few days later the dude wakes up with a missing rib and a naked woman at his side. And since this is the original man-woman pair, the entire humanity is a mass of inbreds.

And we would be living on a flat earth and not sailing too far from land for fear of falling off the edge. Not to forget that the universe would be orbiting the Earth.

People with mental illness would be seen as possessed with evil spirits and subjected to brutal treatment (not that this has really changed even now).

It was not long ago when my mother’s colleague died of high blood sugar because his prayer group believed it is against god’s will to take medicine. After prayers failed to keep his soul attached to his body, he left behind an unemployed wife and five little children (yes, the sect also believes that family planning offends god).

If people were to not to allow the ‘mysterious ways’ to decide their behaviour, the world would definitely be a better place. Caste divisions, communal riots, ethnic cleansing, genocides, female genital mutilation and a million other inhuman practices would have no takers.

Think of the absurdness of some random guy in India going around burning government buses in which he travels daily because of some offensive short film made in the United States. How does your thunder and tirade help, buddy?

We wouldn’t have had the misfortune of our greatest contemporary artist, MF Husain, dying in exile if his artistic freedom hadn’t ‘offended religious sensitivities’ and made him a target of legal harassment and vandalism of his works.

Imagine the amount of money you would be saving, or spending on matters of your tastes and choice it wasn’t diverted to people who claim to have a hotline with god or can broker your way to salvation (for a price).

Couples would have been living happily if they weren’t forced apart because a couple planets or stars aren’t favouring their union.

And when you want to do something you can do it at a time of your own choosing and not wait for some board-reader to tell you the ‘auspicious’ time for it.

Colour of the flag or name of the sect doesn’t manner, religious bigots have been there all throughout human history. They thrive on ignorance, blind faith, complacence, nepotism and the desire for status quo by the privileged. The lines are redrawn and rules are bent to suit their material gains and controlling power.

Life is short, let us use our brains (unless already muddled by religions) to be better human beings to our brothers than be dictated by criteria to avoid the purgatory.

*Removed from the printed version

(This article was published as the editorial column in Postnoon on September 19, 2012)

Mumbai isn’t a tale of three Thackerays

Not long after Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray termed migrants ‘infiltrators’, his estranged cousin and Shiv Sena heir apparent Uddhav Thackeray, not wanting to be outdone in vitriolic diatribe, has said that migration from Bihar must be kept under check through permit system.

It was barely 80 years ago that a short young politician popularised the concept of lebensraum (roughly translates as ‘living space’) to ascend to power in Germany. Yes, your guess is right, we are talking about Adolf Hitler, who considered anyone non-German sub-human. People of Slavic origin, Gypsies and Jews were persecuted, imprisoned, tortured, deported — and in the case of Jews, massacred to the best of his ability.

The more the Thackerays (including Shiv Sena satrap, the ageing but definitely not mellowing, Bal Thackeray) unleash their polarising venom, the more it sounds like a desi version of Mein Kampf. And if one were to analyse their organisations’ agenda, it is only the lack of unchecked power that is preventing them from carrying out similar pogroms.

To understand Raj’s tirades and Uddhav’s attempt to whip up ‘sons of soil’ passions, we should go back to Bombay (wasn’t Mumbai then) of the 1970s. Bal Thackeray’s Shiv Sena was carrying out a vitriolic (and violent) campaign against South Indians, who, according to him, were taking away the jobs and opportunities of Marathi manoos.

It was under the wing of Bal Thackeray that nephew Raj and son Uddhav cut their teeth in the toxic politics of regionalism. Raj, a firebrand orator, always had more visibility in Shiv Sena and many thought he would take over from Bal Thackeray. However, it was not to be.

As the worried uncle started relegating him to the margins to give more space and visibility for Uddhav, the cousins drifted apart and two factions emerged. And finally in 2006, with no more maneuvering space left within the fold of the same party, Raj walked out and formed the MNS.

Ever since, Raj and his followers embarked on a Marathi chauvinism campaign; shriller, more poisonous, more violent and better organised — designed to outdo his uncle’s outfit in the same department, on his home turf. And it is working.

The audacity with which the MNS is able to continue with its politics of thuggery is an insult to our democracy and the rights guaranteed to all citizens under the Constitution.

Despite its violent campaigns targeting migrant workers, especially autorickshaw and taxi drivers, the MNS boss is a free man and continues his trade with impunity.

While several cases have been registered against the MNS chief and his outfit, thanks to our legal system, the bigot has never had a reason to worry or curtail his activities.

Mumbai is what it is today because it has attracted and made maximum out of the best talents from across the country. It is the migrants who form the fabric of cheap essential services that keep the city running. If people from other states were to be taken out of India’s financial capital, it would be reduced to an empty shell.

South Indian, North Indian, Bihari or Bengali... anyone who is a citizen of this country has the right to travel, live and ply his trade and maintain his identity anywhere in the country.

Organisations like Shiv Sena and MNS are a blot on our culture and have little difference from the Third Reich. They must be crushed before these cancer cells inspire more of their kind elsewhere and become malignant to our civilisation.

(This article was published as the editorial column in Postnoon on September 5, 2012)

Divided we stand as Pakistan's puppets

Assam riots and its ripple effect have come as a disgrace to India and its leaders who love to flaunt the 'unity in diversity' tag.

While the violence displaced close to 4.5 lakh people in Assam, at least 50,000 people from North East fled from other parts of the country to their homes as random targeted attacks and hate campaigns via SMS, MMS and social networking sites created a fear psychosis.

Some media reports claim that the sheer magnitude of the displacement is the biggest that has been triggered in the history of the country since the post-partition bloodbaths.

While the violence in Assam has behind it complex and intertwined factors such as illegal migration, ethnic identity, vote bank politics, militancy, unemployment and lack of development, its 'fallout' across the rest of the country defies all logic.

One cannot fathom why lives and property of people of North East, very much the citizens of this country, must be held to ransom by elements who support Bangladeshi immigrants (according to government statistics, there are at least 3 crore of them). Can someone who threaten his countrymen on behalf of protecting illegal aliens be called a patriot? Their actions are nothing short of treason.

Now more evidence is emerging about Pakistan being the epicentre of the mobile and internet hate campaign (like most of terrorism directed at India). Indian intelligence agencies have said that it is a psychological warfare that has full support from Pakistani intelligence agencies.

Therefore, any act of violence that would hurt Indians and undermine our national security security will be the moral equivalent of being on the payroll of Pakistan.

What difference does it make if someone in Bangalore or Mumbai attacks people with oriental features? Will it solve the problems of Assam? Can even one among these brainwashed mobs differentiate between an Assamese from a Naga, or a Manipuri from a Mizo? Do they know anything about the unique culture and heritage of the North East?

India has been battling militancy in the North East for decades. The continuing conflicts and the resultant military presence have already made the people of the region wary of the designs of those in the 'mainland'. Even without the racially-targeted violence, they face enough humiliation, harassment and discrimination across the country. Reservations, economic packages and inspiring speeches on 'our India' will not work when our citizens are made refugees in our own country.

An anti-Assam-violence protest in Mumbai on August 11 turned violent, killing two people and injuring over 50 — most of them policemen. The thick-skulled mob did not even spare the Amar Jawan Jyoti memorial (for martyred Indian soldiers).

The exodus of North East people from 'mainland' cities have given a major boost to Sangh Parivar organisations. The likes of Raj Thackeray and his vitriolic MNS are hogging the limelight and whipping up communal passion. The way of life India adopted after partition has ensured that we did not end up a failed, savage, theocratic dump like Pakistan, and it is only natural that our western neighbour wants some parity in the department.

It will be an acid test for us as a nation to uphold the values enshrined in our culture and the Constitution so that we do not end up like our estranged (and deranged) sibling.

(This article was published as the editorial column in Postnoon on August 22, 2012)

India’s independent, but Bharat’s still a mess

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

— Robert Frost

Another Inde­pendence Day has come, actually the 65th one, and as usual the nation has been served its regular dose of an inspiring speech by its prime minister. However, the questions remain about what it has done for the countrymen.

At least Manmohan Singh has shown enough sense in not bragging about 'India Shining' like his NDA predecessors and has been realistic in saying that true independence will come only when we “banish poverty, illiteracy, hunger and backwardness”.

I wouldn't show the audacity to advise the economist on how to steer the economy through these turbulent times of Eurozone crisis, but I definitely know his team should do more to keep my food and fuel bills down.

True that poor monsoons have played truant so far and it will impact the food stocks. But that doesn't justify close to 40 per cent of foodgrains rotting away due to lack of storage infrastructure. Unless this massive hole is plugged, the effect of all subsidies and special packages will be negated.

While rapid economic growth is being encouraged, little is being done to check the irreversible damage it is doing to the ecology and the people. Special Economic Zones on farmland; hydel projects drowning swathes of forest; toxic emissions that pollute and the millions who are displaced, deprived of dignity and condemned to lives of penury. Those who champion people's causes and come to power turn even worse oppressors and exploiters.

Corruption is endemic. Central ministers to office attendants in villages; Generals to traffic cops; judiciary, bureaucrats, doctors and scientists... there is no end to the list. And, of course, the 'enterprising' politicians who turn multi-billionaires in few years by 'serving the people'. Anti-corruption crusaders have fallen to the lure of political power and a 'guru' with dubious credentials is hogging the limelight.

Society is in tatters. Caste system continues to condemn hundreds of millions to sub-human conditions. Caste kangaroo courts run their writ of murders, gangrapes and ostracism campaigns, and the official machinery only pays lip service to protection of human rights. Reservations that were instituted to promote integration have turned into a major divisive factor. Sex crimes against women and minors are skyrocketing while thousands of female foetuses are killed through selective abortion. Manual scavenging continues and a majority of villages still don't have toilets. Unless these fundamental issues are resolved, whatever progress we claim to make will remain tall claims.

The GDP share for healthcare remains dismal and social security a distant dream. Dozens of key legislations including Women's Reservation Bill, Lokpal Bill and Whistleblowers Bill have not been passed as politicians continue to squabble and waste the time of Parliament.

Security remains a major concern. A substantial part of the country is literally under Maoist control and separatist insurgencies continue to take toll on lives in several states. The latest spell of violence in Assam shows fundamental flaws are yet to be rectified. Terrorist attacks continue across the country even as plan after plan and agency after agency are announced to tackle the menace.

All we ask of the leaders of this country is to show some real commitment to the original purpose for which the people put their faith in them and the institution of democracy.

(This article was published as the editorial column in Postnoon on August 15, 2012)

Violators of women deserve no mercy

A quick glance at the news spectrum gives a sorry picture of the state of women in this country. The fairer sex which constitutes more than a majority in the population are being handed out an unfair deal — so much for the concept of democracy.

From the Guwahati molestation where a 50-strong drunk mob literally raped a teen in full media glare to the remote village in UP where a woman was force-fed alcohol and gang-raped by policemen in a police station, safety and dignity of women is virtually non-existent.

When it comes to glorification of women in culture and philosophy, no one can beat us. From goddesses to warrior princesses, women have been worshipped in one way or the other. Religious texts to literature, pages extolling women's virtues are countless. However, nothing guarantees the safety of women in the street.

Dowry is a major cause of abuse, harassment and violence against women. Though outlawed, the practice is rampant across the country; and contrary to expectation, education, social status or urbanity does not deter this social evil.

If a man has even a grain of self-respect he wouldn't ask for dowry. A demand for dowry is an open proclamation that “for all my machismo, I am an incapable loser who can't provide for my better half and I am desperately dependent on the charity handouts of my in-laws”.

A majority of dowry-related cases go unreported due to fear of social stigma, threat of violence or pressure from families, the few that are reported are gory and appalling enough to question one's belief in humanity.

Sexual violence against women is a different ballgame altogether. Though myriad laws are in existense to safeguard the safety of women, and to provide justice to victims, few translate into real support.

The people and institutions who are supposed to enforce these laws are themselves supporters of sexually charged animals who prey on women with impunity.

The frequent statements from top police officials, ministers, clerics, and, in the latest case, from a member of National Commission for Women, put the victims' moral credentials under scrutiny. Those who bark that it is the dress of the woman that 'provokes' sexual assault must remember that miniskirts don't get women raped in most cases.

The 'moral police' who patrol the streets to ward off 'corrupting' Western influences such as Valentine's Day is nowhere to be seen or heard when the women are torn to bits by savages across the country. Their silence, combined with the 'endorsement' from the powerful, encourage the sexual predators.

Sexual crimes do not deserve any mercy. For all the psychological and social reasons that may be lined up, it is the lack of fear of punishment that powers these beasts.

I personally favour physical castration as the most potent punishment for sexual crimes. The criminals, rendered incapable of similar crimes, must be incarcerated for life with hard labour. Hurt them where is hurts, and results will naturally show in statistics.

Barely a month back, an international study had ranked India as one of the worst places to be a woman — only next to Saudi Arabia. Something is fundamentally flawed with our system if we are in the same bracket with primitive societies where rape victims are executed on charges of adultery.

We don't need Obama, but change we definitely need.

(This article was published as the editorial column in Postnoon on July 25, 2012)