India today reflects the trait of a young nation with a large young population that is reluctant to come out of selfish and self-centred motives.
Such a trait manifested itself in the gang rape of 23-year-old Jyoti Singh Pandey, a female physiotherapy intern on December 16, 2012, while travelling with her 28-year-old friend Awindra Pandey in a private bus from Munirika in South Delhi to reach her accommodation in Dwarka in West Delhi.
The country mourned her death in a Singapore hospital thirteen days later. Her death was due to brain damage, pneumonia and abdominal infection, all caused by the brutal rape and severe beating, after which she was thrown out of the running bus by the five accused men.
Jyoti’s father Badri Singh (who released the name of his daughter to a British newspaper) “to give courage to other women who have survived these attacks,” was hopeful that she would recover and realise her dream of becoming a doctor.
Amendment Bill
Indian President Pranab Kumar Mukherjee promulgated ‘The Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance 2013’ on February 3.
The Ordinance provides for amendment of the Indian Penal Code, Indian Evidence Act, and Code of Criminal Procedure (1973) on laws related to sexual offences and death penalty in case of rape.
The Opposition accused Prime Minister Dr .Manmohan Singh and his government for their inability to protect a woman in the heart of the country’s capital.
Difficult questions
What will be the future of the victim’s family, especially her father, who had to sell his land to educate her?
What will be the future of Jyoti’s friend, who almost lost his life trying to save her?
Is it wrong for a young woman to go out in night in the capital of the largest democratic country in the world?
Why is it that no one tried to help the couple?
Has India lived up to the image of being an open society with liberal and progressive thoughts?
These questions, posed initially by the media, later dissipated.
Capital punishment
Going by the mood of the nation, the five men accused of gang rape must face capital punishment. These men include bus driver Ram Singh, his brother Mukesh, fruit seller Pawan Gupta, gym instructor Vinay Sharma and bus cleaner Akshay Thakur.
All of them are now in Delhi’s Tihar Central Jail.
The Juvenile Justice Board is handling the case against the sixth accused, because he is reported to be a minor.
The Police have charged the five men under various sections for gang rape, unnatural offences, murder in dacoity, kidnapping or abduction with intent to secretly or wrongfully confine a person, destruction of evidence and many more.
Manohar Lal Sharma, the advocate for two of the defendants, accused Jyoti’s friend as the ‘rapist who must be hanged.’
There have been nationwide protests and reports of similar instances have come from various parts of the world.
The general belief in India today is that the justice system must respond to the will of the people and award appropriate penalty to the perpetrators of the heinous crime.
The on-going trial at a ‘fast-track court’ in Delhi is expected to take another three months to complete, following which the law would take its further course.
Balaji Chandramohan is our Correspondent based in New Delhi.
