What doesn’t make us Indians - Editorial

The gang rape of the Indian medical student pulled hundreds and thousands of angry people to the capital, urging the government to introduce the death penalty for the rapists. In contrast, Sri Lanka has been witnessing many types of crimes and abuses against women and children, even in places where the highest form of security is supposed to prevail, which include public places and the highest echelon of the country’s law-making—the Parliament. Yet, between the lackadaisical laws and disturbing silence of the public which is often misinterpreted as approval or tolerance, one is at a loss to understand which is more damaging.

Associated Press on January 1, reported that prosecutors would seek the death penalty for the six men arrested in connection with the rape, kidnap and murder of the girl. In the face of such a massive public outcry, no government would have dared to turn its back. It was not a political humbling or letting the public have its own way; which in some cases could not be the right way. India responded to the call of the people when they demanded justice for a girl who did not deserve such a gruesome death; through which they pleaded for the protection their womanhood is rightfully entitled to.  

The news hit the island at a time when the talk of the death penalty for rapists and abusers was in and out of expert discussions and press reports. Speaking to Daily Mirror a few months ago, Tissa Karaliyadda, Minister of Child Development and Women’s Affairs said that though the topic of the death penalty attracts criticism from human rights activists it is important to prioritise the rights of the children. In a country where the individuals who are found guilty of murder and drug abuse could be sentenced for life, one is at a loss to understand what makes rape and abuse lesser crimes. If children could be abused in classrooms or killed and dumped in the canals of the Capital, it says a lot about the immobility of the wheels of justice.

As soon as the war was concluded, the word of victory of the President carried a line in which he claimed to be the proud father of all the children. With the outrageous trend of rape and abuse that has taken the country by storm, it is rather doubtful whether he can still make the same proud proclamation.

One need not wait till the perpetrators tap on one's door to demand safety. A loud cry could surely cure the deafness.  At a time when protests are daily paid jobs for many, it is doubtful whether one would willingly walk into a demo and run the risk of being tear-gassed; for ours is a country where people, with their hands on their cheeks, listen to the tales of woe and with the exclamation of ‘paw’ or ‘sin,’ turn back to their affairs.
And that is the difference between Indians and us.