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Crushed before they bloom

On September 23, 1998, four nuns were gang-raped in Jhabua, MP. Immediately, thousands of Christians and members of women's groups and other "progressive forces" staged street protests country-wide demanding that federal investigators probe the assault.

Ten days later, the home minister announced that the government would consider legislating the death sentence for rapists. On November 19, the prime minister confirmed that rape will be made punishable by death.

On February 3, a nun from Orissa screamed "rape!". The Catholic Church Association observed a protest day; the Congress blamed the Parivar for spreading "a feeling of insecurity among all women"; and the Press had yet another field-day.

Now here are some news reports I've been tracking:

* January 16, Raichur: Gang-rape of a 12-year-old girl in a remand home. "Deputy Commissioner Ashok Dalwai said he suspected some prominent citizens and officers were involved in this tragic incident..."

* February 2, Delhi: A 6-year-old girl raped. "The police quoted the girl as saying that 'an oldish-looking man, dressed in kurta and pyjama' had forcibly taken her to a deserted spot nearby and assaulted her... [her mother] found the girl standing alone and crying... This was the third case of rape of minor girls in the area since early January. In the earlier cases, the victims were too young and traumatised to be able to describe the assaulter."

* February 5, Lucknow: "[The court] convicted a person for committing rape with a minor girl. The accused, Mahesh, was sentenced to undergo 10 years RI with fine of Rs.1,000."

* February 6, Kolar: "The teacher Gurappa reportedly took a student, a minor, to his house and raped her there. He allegedly threatened her with dire consequences if she revealed any information."

* February 20, Delhi: "A sessions court has sentenced a 25-year-old man, Roshan, to four years' RI and fined him Rs 5,000 for attempting to rape a 3-year-old girl in the Kotla Mubarakpur area of south Delhi in 1996..."

* March 1, Delhi: "A two-year-old girl from a jhuggi in Yamuna Pushta is said to have been raped and murdered by a 30-year-old resident of the same jhuggi... Joginder Chaurasiya allegedly abducted the girl, took her to an empty DDA plot and raped her... The victim, who bled profusely, was taken to Swami Dayanand Hospital from where she was referred to the Lok Nayak Hospital. She died before reaching the hospital."

* March 4, Delhi: "The police have arrested a 25-year-old man who they believe raped six minor girls, between the ages of three and six, in west Delhi over two months. So violent have the attacks been, the victims may never fully recover emotionally from the traumatic experience... Yadav, said police officials, took to raping minors after he contracted venereal disease from sex workers in GB Road... Yadav hadbeen booked earlier for four cases of attempted kidnapping in the Rajouri Garden subdivision and in all these cases, his targets were 8 to 9 year olds."

* March 5, Mumbai: An 11-year-old girl raped on the railway tracks between Borivli and Dahisar. "...a man in his late 20s accosted her. He forcibly made her drink a sedative potion. The man later took the minor to a deserted spot along the tracks and raped her."

* March 12, Delhi: "[The court] held Sharda Devi guilty of kidnapping 13-year-old Rajni from her home in Jammu and forcing her into prostitution in Delhi... Rajni was kept confined in a room and was forced by Sharda Devi to entertain clients who abused her sexually. On refusal, she was threatened and beaten by Sharda Devi."

* March 13, Hyderabad: "A man... raped two minor sisters -- a 6 year old and 10 year old, killed them and buried them in a godown in the city... [The rapist] lured 10-year-old Pedda Bhagyamma by offering her chocolates. According to his own admission, he took her inside the godown and raped her while she was unconscious. Her younger sister came to the godown in search of her and [he] raped and strangulated her. He then strangulated the unconscious girl and buried them in the godown."

Ten clippings in three months. From just three Indian "national" newspapers -- which also happen to be on-line. Accessible to you.

You do know how small a two-year-old is, don't you? Both her hands could fit into your one. She can't even pronounce "x". How accommodating could her vagina possibly be? What kind of person would tear up the insides of an infant? What kind of person would penetrate a 12 year old, repeatedly, along with others? What kind of person would force himself into a child too young to be able to talk? What kind of person would ram his venereal-diseased member into a 6 year old? What kind of person would rape his student? What kind of people sell children for sexual use? Can they be called human? Even if it be in prison, are they fit to live...?

Why has there been no public outrage at the child-rapes? The four, adult nuns did not die -- but the two year old literally bled out her life. Why is there no protest, not even a mention, about her anymore...?

I'll tell you why. It's because there's no political advantage in it. These are just rapes -- "secular" rapes. To top that, the victims are poor. Children of the penniless strata. They have no lobby, no funds, no international godfathers. So, none of these items made it to the front pages... There are no seats to be shaken, no ransom to be gotten, no power to be had, from making them a campaign point. For there is no politically-incorrect and readily identifiable perpetrating group. There's no scandal, no "uncovering" in it. So the Press won't do it...

But it always takes two to tango... YOU don't *feel* the violation, the agony, the terror, the death, till it hasn't been hammered into you by the media. YOU don't read a child-rape item and resolve to pull down the administration... You FEEEEL for the incinerated Staines boys, don't you? Then do you have the time to write letters protesting the death of the girl from the jhuggi? Do you have the *inclination* to glut newsgroups to rally against the "progressive, democratic" party ruling the city where at least SEVEN rapes of under-6 girls occurred? What's it, you waiting for the rapists to be Parivaris...? You have strong opinions on India's civic life, don't you? Then what about the future -- the children -- of bloody Mother India? So don't tell me what crap I am -- look in your mirrors...

And this is what you'll see: You nodding benignly when some duffer calls Mr L K Advani a blood-thirsty maniac for asking for the death of rapists. It fits in sooo comfortably with your received wisdom on mercy, liberalism and pacifism... Or, you'll see yourself agreeing with my suit for the death penalty for terrorists. For that goes hand-in-hand with your received ideas on Hindutva and nationalism... So, whether you're from the left, right or centre -- don't lay all the blame on the "biased" Press. You are part of the morally corrupt system.

Why do you have the inclination to protest against the imposition of Vande Mataram? Think: Is patriotism a depravity...? Why is a BJP defeat -- even at the cost of Bihar's populace -- paramount to all other considerations? How do you condone the existence of a Mulayam? If you're so goddamn secular, why don't you do something about these raped secular children?? Do the victims have to be Christian to get your goddamn attention...?

Or... Why do you have the tilt to support the introduction of the Saraswati Vandana? Think: Where's it in the scheme of governance...? How do you compare the work of a Singhal with that of a Teresa? What's this garbage about the Ugadi Divas and the new Hindu millennium? If you're so goddamn Hindu, why don't you do something about these raped Hindu children?? Do the rapists have to be Christian to get your goddamn attention...?

Over half of the rape victims in Delhi last year were minors -- and more than a quarter were below the age of 12. Police records reveal that of the 438 rapes, 111 victims were under-12, and 122 were between 13 to 16 years. And that's just the tip of the iceberg -- for most child-rapes go unreported, either because the children are too scared to talk or families fear the social stigma.

The situation is no better in Mumbai, the prime centre for migrant labour. We had 115 *reported* rapes -- and most of the victims were minors. For it's a city with a certain group of children at particular risk of sexual abuse: Street children and children in orphanages and local authority care are always vulnerable to preying animals.

Along with Calcutta, Mumbai also has the highest number of child-prostitutes. What kind of human buys to fuck -- NO euphemism, here -- a child's body?

The mail in response to Base Instinct had puzzled me: How come no hate male beat me up for: "It would seem this nation of rapists honoured womandom"...? That was an intentional red rag which you -- who don't let a mobile phone slip through -- chose to ignore... Why? But I'm going to amend my statement anyway -- to "this nation of paedophiles." Research indicates that one child-prostitute services between 5 to 30 customers a week, somewhere between 250 to 1,600 a year. Even if the *lowest* estimates on the numbers of child-prostitutes are accepted, the number of paedophiles still runs into several millions annually. The population of Denmark is 5.2 million...

Yes, yes, I know your response: Bhosle seeks to whitewash the communalists' atrocities on Christians by diverting attention to Congress rule in Delhi... Just like my nailing Gladys Staines's lie and exposing prejudiced reportage was taken as a justification for the Staines murders. PLEASE believe me: I have too much contempt for you to expect anything better.

So what's my purpose in writing this piece? Just this: To inform all readers equally that there ARE some very important issues other than politicised communal ones. Sure, like Dilip and me, you, too, can get fixated on one aspect of public life. But every now and then, it's imperative to look at things afresh, to make an effort to shake off pre-conceived notions and look at an incident for what it IS -- and not what it is pushed as being and who is pushing it. Only that can prevent the perversion of reality.

And one such issue is the death penalty for rapists. Here are the rest of the facts on the aforementioned Hyderabad double-rape/murder case: "A man, convicted earlier for the rape and murder of a 10-year-old girl, raped two minor sisters... Mazhar Ali was sentenced to life imprisonment by a city court in 1995 for the rape of a 10 year old in 1992. He challenged the order in the high court and was acquitted and released from jail in November 1996. Later, the Supreme Court reversed the high court order and asked the lower court to reopen the case. He committed the crime even as a warrant was pending against him."

All sorts of research from every country indicate that a child-rapist is never a one-time criminal: He feeds on power over a completely defenceless being, and his arousal, more often than not, depends on an element of sadism. Also, he knows that it's the easiest and "safest" crime of all...

If Mazhar Ali had been hanged in 1995, 10-year-old Pedda and 6-year-old Chinna would have been alive today. Death doesn't become them.

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