Dad rape his own daughters

By Monjib Mochahari

CONTINUING violence against infants, girls and women are being reported on a daily basis makes me feel that India is suffering from female-hatred mania. In the last couple of months cases of rapes and assault have made it to the headlines with alarming frequency. In another shameful incidence, under Meera Road police station in Mumbai, on March 18, a father was arrested for allegedly raping his two daughters on the advice of a ‘tantrik' in an attempt to become rich for ten years. Shocking enough is the fact that mother was also a part of the crime. He first raped his elder daughter, now 23-year when she was just ten years old and continued for ten years. According to the sources, father was advised to get sexually involved with his daughter for 133 times to become rich. The hunger for money led the couple assault their kid. They continued the crime with the younger daughter till she complaint of it to her maternal uncle. According to the police sources, the couple was arrested on the complaint of the relative.

Rape is the fastest growing crime in India today; as many as 18 women are assaulted in some form or the other every hour across India. Analytically, the chronology compiled by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) reveals that crimes against women seems to be more deadly than terror attacks in India. According to the report of the NCRB 2007, a total of 185,312 incidents of crime against women were reported in the country during 2007 as compared to 164,765 during 2006, an increase of 12.5 percent. Of this, 85,312 incidents of crime against women and 20,771 cases of rape, 38,734 molestation and 1095 sexual harassment were reported in the country in 2007.

In more than 90 percent of the cases, the victims knew the offenders. The highest number of rape cases was reported from Madhya Pradesh, 75,930 women became victims of torture and cruelty by their husbands and in-laws. Every three minutes a woman becomes victim of a crime somewhere in India. The highest number become targets of their husbands and in-laws, says the report. Further, the number of crimes committed against women has increased continuously during the last five years.

Cases of Crimes have upsurged in thousands, a decade back in 1999, a total of 1, 35,771 cases were reported. Over 32000 murders, 19,000 rapes, 7500 dowry deaths and 36500 molestation cases are the violent crimes reported in India in 2006 against women. While Madhya Pradesh is worst off among the states, the national capital New Delhi continues to hold on to its reputation of being the most unsafe city in India. Delhi takes the top slot for crimes ranging from murders and rapes to dowry deaths and abductions. For instance while the national crime rate declined negligibly by .02 % in 2006; Delhi's rate grew to 357.2more than double the national average of 167.7.

It reflects country's law and order situation is plunging deep into chaos. While its capital remains a cauldron of crime. Instead of leading the way in tackling crime, Delhi only seems to do worse year after year. The skyrocketing rise of crimes against women and children makes me wonder why the country India cannot tackle effectively. Is there any solution? Everyone is against it, but nobody knows how to answer to it. Of there is no magical solution to it, but definitely there is a need for fundamental changes to be in our society. However, the government must sincere effort, rather than depending on its outdated mechanism to deal this social evil.

Making sense of Women in politics

Love or hate India’s male-dominated politics, you can't ignore politics. 15th Lok Sabha polls are around the corner. Forget about the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), or the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) or the 3rd Front. It’s time to introspect that women in India have less than 10 percent representation in India's parliament even though they make up 44 percent of the voting population. The fact is that the much talk about 30 percent women’s reservation bill is gaining dust in Parliament. Is politics a distant cry for women in India or a time say no to political parties who have tickets to women?

Stop criminal ragging

He would have saved many lives. He would certainly have given smiles to the sufferings. But it’s very unfortunate, on Sunday evening; Amann Kuchroo, 19 a first year medical students in Dr. Rajendra Prasad Medical College, Tanda, Himachal Pradesh was allegedly ragged to death by four seniors students. It’s deeply inconsolable to the Amann’s family that they lost their only son in such an inhuman manner.

In the west it’s the frequent campus shoot-outs, whereas in India, it’s certainly the ceremonial and criminal raggings in academic institutions that turn students’ lives into nightmare. Though ragging has been strictly banned in some colleges and universities in India, but how far the ban is effective appears clear on the campuses, hostels and in the media. Amit Sahai was a student of NIT Jalandhar, Punjab and he committed suicide on October 11, 2005, by jumping in front of a speeding train. He blamed nine senior students of NIT Jalandhar in his suicide note for having had mercilessly ragged him. Durgesh Shukla hanged himself from a ceiling fan on September 18 2007. He blamed seniors in his suicide note.

On August, 2003, an electrical engineering student of IIT Delhi ran away from his hostel after he was force to perform “sexual acts” by his seniors. The victim returned only after the seniors were suspended for a semester. In the same year, a student of Chemistry in Hindu College was asked to strip and walk in the corridor of the college hostel. Similarly, on August, 2006 a first year student of Delhi’s School of Planning and Architecture was allegedly ragged by two of his seniors in the boy’s hostel in Maharani Bagh. Worst still, on October, 2007 a first year student of St. Stephen’s College, Delhi received burn injuries on his hands and knees after four senior allegedly lit a matchstick after spraying deodorant on his body.

A report from 2007 highlights 42 instances of physical injury, and reports on ten deaths purportedly the result of ragging. In the 2007 session, 7 ragging deaths have been reported. Ragging has reportedly caused at least 30-31 deaths in the last 7 years; all of which are those of freshers. C. Lalitha, the mother of Mukesh, ended her life due to the controversy surrounding the sexual abuse of her son during ragging on September 2006 in Andhra Pradesh.

These incidents are enough to prove that freshers are subject to regular and undeterred criminal ragging, physical bashing and in some case even sexual manhandling. Analytically, ragging involves gross violations of human rights. The seniors commonly torture the innocent juniors and by this those seniors get some kind of sadistic pleasures. Truly speaking the nature of ragging in most of the hostels in India may be as severe as what we know about the infamous Abu Ghraib prison of Irag. The Supreme Court of India in its judgment on February 11, 2009 termed ragging as: “It is a form of systematic and sustained physical, mental and sexual abuse of fresh students at a college, university or any other educational institution at the hands of senior students of the same institution and sometimes, even outsiders”.

Though ragging has ruined the lives of many, resistance against it has grown up only recently. With the situation of ragging worsening yearly, there is an urgent need for spontaneous anti-ragging movement to stop such an inhuman activities. Several Indian states have made legislatures banning ragging, and the Supreme Court of India has taken a strong stand to curb ragging. Ragging has been declared a “criminal offence”. The Indian civil society has also started to mount resistance, only recently. India’s first and only registered Anti Ragging NGO, Society Against Violence in Education (SAVE) has supported that ragging is also widely and dangerously prevalent in many colleges and institutions, mainly in the hostels. Online groups like Coalition to Uproot Ragging from India (CURE), Stopragging and No Ragging Foundation became the major Anti Ragging groups on the Internet. However, the success of these anti-ragging movements far from the reality. The need of the hour is that who ever engages in any form of ragging – either physical, mental or sexual must be made to pay for life for the crime he or she has ever committed in the campus. Unless and until such an exemplary punishment is given, raggings will continue to break the headlines.

GUTA opposes Chancellor’s move

May 16 – The executive committee of the Gauhati University Teachers’ Association (GUTA) today expressed deep shock over the decision of the Chancellor of the University to assume the charge of the University administration himself in the wake of the resignation of its Vice Chancellor (VC). The established norm has been to appoint a senior professor of the University with adequate knowledge and experience in the University system as VC in-charge during the absence of a regular VC, said the GUTA executive.

In its emergent meeting here today, the GUTA executive committee decided to place a formal request with the Chancellor of the University Ajai Singh, who is also the Governor of the State, to

revoke immediately his decision to assume the charge of University administration.

Besides, the GUTA executive committee has also decided, in its meeting today, to request the Chancellor to take an immediate decision on the resignation of Prof Amarjyoti Choudhury from the post of Vice Chancellor (VC) of the University.

The Chancellor should appoint an in-charge VC in conformity with the established norms of the University till the appointment of the next VC, said the GUTA executive committee in one of its resolutions.

It said the decision of the Chancellor to assume the responsibility of the University administration would create serious problems in the normal functioning of the University administration. The running of the University administration requires regular and timely approval of the VC on various matters, said the GUTA executive.

The GUTA executive committee has also resented the resignation of Prof Amarjyoti Choudhury and said that it ‘disapproves the manner in which the resignation was submitted.’ The decision of Prof Choudhury is a hasty one and it has put the University in an unprecedented situation, said the GUTA executive committee in one of its resolutions.

MOTHER'S DAY

Mother's Day is celebrated to honor all mothers and express gratitude for the hardships they bear in bringing up a child. Most countries including US, Australia, Canada and India celebrate Mothers Day on the second Sunday of May. Mother Day came into being due to the efforts made by Ms Julia Ward Howe and Ms Anna Jarvis. The Resolution for having a dedicated 'Mother's Day was signed by US President Woodrow Wilson on May 8, 1914. Since then people across the world have been celebrating Mothers Day with joy and devotion.

NDFB wants army role in law & order

New Delhi, May 8: As Delhi hammers out ceasefire ground rules with the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) in Guwahati this week, it is likely to face harsh accusations against the Tarun Gogoi-led government.

Accusing police of state-sponsored terrorism, the Bodo militant outfit is demanding that the army should take care of law and order.

“Civilians have been killed by the state police. We have no faith in the state government,” senior NDFB leader S. Sanjarang told The Telegraph over phone from Assam.

Given the mood, Delhi is holding its cards close to the chest. “Political talks will be held after we frame the ground rules,” was all that a home ministry source said.

A tripartite suspension of operations agreement was signed between Delhi, Dispur and the NDFB on May 25, 2005, in New Delhi.

Since then, a joint monitoring committee, comprising representatives of the state government, security agency and the NDFB, has been set up.

Sanjarang said the committee had only discussed ground rules so far and no political-level talks had been held.

Delhi had also insisted that the outfit should prepare its charter of demands before any political-level talks could begin. The outfit handed over its charter of demands to home ministry officials here on May 1.

The meeting to be held between a team of home ministry officials and NDFB leaders this week will first hammer out the ground rules.

Once the ground rules are laid down, the NDFB would stand a better chance to have the ban on it under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act revoked.

The meeting in Guwahati is also important because of the NDFB’s equations with the Bodo People’s Progressive Front (BPPF), an ally of the Congress in the state government.

The NDFB is in rivalry with former members of the Bodo Liberation Tigers (BLT), a militant group that was disbanded after its leaders signed a tripartite agreement with Delhi and Dispur. Although the BLT no longer exists, its rivalry with the NDFB continues.

The BPPF was born out of the BLT.

Gunbattles between the two rival Bodo groups continue in several Bodo-dominated districts in Assam and the NDFB accuses BPPF leaders of being “politicians holding guns”.

source:the Telegraph