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Barbaric crime

Last Updated 18 December 2012, 20:02 IST

Delhi’s dubious reputation of being India’s ‘rape capital’ has been underscored yet again with the gang rape of a 23-year-old student in Delhi inside a moving bus. The girl and a male friend she was with were beaten with iron rods, stripped and thrown out of the bus. The six assailants included the bus driver. The incident has sparked outrage across the country. People want to know what the government has been doing to prevent such brutal crimes. Police have said that three of the six assailants have been taken into custody. The Delhi government has promised to set up a fast-track court to try the case. Such announcements have been made in the past too and one wonders whether this is enough to send out a strong signal to deter rapes in future.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), 414 rape cases were reported in Delhi in 2010, the highest in the country. Studies reveal that for every rape that is reported, 50 go unreported. The magnitude of the problem is thus far larger than figures reveal. Delhi’s high rape rate is often blamed on its migrants. Indeed, it has a large number of men coming from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, states that are notorious for their highly feudal societies. However, it is not the migrants alone that are responsible for Delhi’s high rape rate. Delhi’s administration is failing its people.

Measures to prevent crime are often determined by people who have a flawed understanding of why women get raped. Even senior police officers have in the past blamed the victim for rape, raising questions over her character, dress and life-style. Delhi chief minister Shiela Dikshit once claimed that ‘adventurous’ women attract trouble. How can we put in place robust measures to prevent violence against women if we blame the victim for the violence? How can we keep women safe when deep misogyny informs our perception of them? NCRB statistics reveal that the conviction rate in rape cases in Delhi is just 34.6 per cent. Courts are acquitting the accused because of flawed FIRs and procedures in collating medical evidence.

Shoddy police investigations are allowing rapists to go scot-free. This failure of the police and the court to punish rapists quickly is encouraging others. The Delhi government must ensure that the culprits are given the most stringent punishment in the shortest possible time.

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(Published 18 December 2012, 17:41 IST)

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