Syed Mustafa Ahmad
On February 28, the same incident happened that has been haunting us since 2012. A girl from Assam was gang-raped, strangulated and later her body was hung from a tree to make it look a suicide.
In writing these lines, a person weeps the tears of blood. Morally, we are at the lowest ebb. In Assam, a group of nine teenagers, who were all boys and classmates, decided to enjoy the picnic three hundred kilometers away from Assam, near a forest. One of them decided to call his girlfriend and lured her to come there. She, the helpless girl in this world of darkness, wasn’t aware of the horrible drama that was stored for her by these goons. Moreover, she didn’t know that it was her last call and after this, she wouldn’t be able to call again till the day of judgment. In the meanwhile, the gang had got themselves drunk and with her coming, they fell on her like the hungry wolves.
They took turns to allegedly rape her, strangulate her and hang her body from a tree so that it would look like a murder. It is a shame for us at large.
What are the causes that give rise to these incidents?
Before taking this question, let us have a look at the data produced by NCRB in November 2019. According to it, the crime rate against women that is measured or calculated per one lakh population is highest in Assam. It is 166 in Assam. In this endeavor, it is followed by Delhi (149). Haryana (107.5) is in the third position while the all India condition is 58.8. In the case of rape and murder, the number of cases in Assam stands at 66, followed by MP 46, UP 41 and Haryana 26. In case of cruelty by husbands/ relatives, Assam stands at 66.7, followed by Delhi 37.4, followed by Bengal 35.9 and the all India situation is 16.1. All these numbers state the condition of Assam in the present time. In every evil, they lead forward. It has many causes.
One of the most vocal organizations, the All Assam students’ union, is also sidelining this issue. There is no hue and cry from their side. The way the juveniles are falling in these dirty games, don’t stir them at all. Writer _ activist Akashitora says that influential organizations like AASU have remained highly patriarchal with not a single woman in its leadership since its formation.” They must send out the right message by giving women leadership roles. Our society must shed its misogyny. Boys must be taught the meaning of consent. Is it so hard for educated parents to tell their sons not to look at women just as objects of lust?” Many others feel that easy access to pornography and drugs have also fuelled the spurt or rise in crime against women, especially by underage boys. Activists also blame the “Delhi _ obsessed “national media of failing to highlight such crime in the Northeast, which could have put pressure on states’ police to be more proactive.
Anurita P. Hazarika of the North East Network, an organization working on gender equality and safety, says that the rise in the rate of violence against women stands out in comparison to other states in the region for a variety of reasons, including how Assamese society is composed of communities which have emerged bout of tribal and caste backgrounds. “The caste structures are followed rigidly and the onus of following them is mostly on women. When they don’t follow them, violence is used as a means to control them. Hazarika says dealing with violence against women must be the top priority for the government.” The State government is going to spend 800 crores on a scheme to give gold to women. It would have been better if this money is spent on street lights, toilets and in integrating methods to deal with violence against women in the existing government schemes,” she adds.
Questions engulf as Assam grapples with rising crimes against women in a broad daylight. It is not only Assam, but it is the talk of the town i.e., India. We need a lot to do on the ground level so that the already morally corrupted society is somehow salvaged. The heinous crimes surfacing with each passing day poses serious questions. All have to come forward. From the very beginning, our children should be taught about gender issues.
The disgusting binary of men and women should be creatively inculcated in their minds. They should be guided in this endeavor that it is these women that have nourished all the enlightened persons of the ephemeral world. A healthy environment of judgments towards women should be created. A lot of work is the need of the hour to be done doing away with the channels that spread pornography. The role of the government is of the utmost importance. They should ban these channels. It will help us a lot in making the morals of the children. Our adolescents feel choked in this atmosphere. For them, devotion is the remedy. Give the adolescents some time. Look out for counselors and share thoughts with them. Marriages should be easy. Rituals should be avoided. Let the institution of marriage as simple as possible. These are some ways that can build our society. It can be recalled to that very time when there was moral security. The need of the hour is to stop crimes like Nirbhaya, Unnao, Hyderabad, Assam, etc. We need not beautiful girls to become the scapegoats again and again.
