Make the top functionaries of the police and administration totally accountable for crimes against women

Today I find some very poignant reports of atrocities on women in the news-papers of Bihar. An english daily has carried on its top main page the report of suicide of a girl student. It also stated that the girl was being harassed and black-mailed by some goons. She had also approached the local police. But her agony did not end. Lastly she met the police-chief of Sitamarhi District but perhaps callous, insensitive and indifferent & non-assuring attitude of the officer drove her to suicide out of despondency, frustration and helplessness. In the inner pages there are stories of the honour-killing of a woman. Only a day before yesterday the Chief Minister had admonished the Police officers for not arresting the culprits of Rohtas District who had been harassing many girl students of the area. The NCW had also criticized the administration disparagingly. Only some days back a local tough had molested a woman in broad day light at Maner of Patna District. The daughter of a barber at Jehanabad lost her eye out of a bullet injury inflicted by some local desperadoes.There are several instances of atrocities on women. The victims seldom muster courage to venture out and report the matter to police due to gender bias and derisive attitude of the society. The social stigma makes them all the more vulnerable. The above victims undergoing tremendous torment did lodge complaints with police but it was the police and the administration that remained unresponsive. Laxity and ineffectiveness on their part renders a system established by law non-functional.

Therefore the need of the hour is to make the top functionaries of the police and administration totally accountable for such crimes against the weaker sections especially the women. Only exemplary and demonstrative punishment can infuse promptness and effectiveness.

Advani has outlived his utility

Two recent statements of Advani show him in utter despair. In the first one he very ridiculously prophesied that no P.M would come from either BJP or the Congress. His doomsday saying is all the more laughable because the Lok sabha elections are more than 2 years from now, a considerable span of time for any political formation to retrieve its lost ground. Perhaps Advani sees no chance of his being P.M in the face of a formidable candidate like Narendra Modi. His 80+ age is also a disadvantage.

The second statement he made in parliament about illegitimacy of the UPA government. Though he reflected the sentiments of the public at large he was pressured by the Congress into taking back his words sheepishly. After all any government formed under democratic process that institutionalizes corruption loses its legitimacy irrespective of the number-game in legislatures. Thus Advani willy-nilly played into the hands of the Congress and derailed a very important discussion on the violence of Assam and foreign incursions.

Advani should take rest from active politics now rather than embarrassing his own party repeatedly.

Anna is a very impatient and petulant person today. He earned for himself public glory and support from all sides when he had successfully embarked on the first fast to death for the Jan Lokpal Bill in Delhi. The UPA government had got panicky and knelt down. The team Anna must have capitalized on UPA-predicament with a sound strategy and sagacious future planning but instead; he rushed rash to another fast in Mumbai which turned out to be a fiasco. He did not learn from his embarrassing mistake and proceeded again to launch yet another fast without intense popular support. The weapon of fast unto death should have been utilized as the last resort as a psychological-tactical warfare. This time the media was also blackmailed, coerced and won over by the government. Thus shorn of media and public support the good intentioned movement petered out miserably.

Now another blunder of Anna is his decision to enter into electoral politics through forming his own outfit. This mission of his is bound to come a cropper. We have example of U.P where the S.P. came into power on tactical voting by minorities on totally communal basis. Otherwise a party known for corruption, bad governance and rowdism in the past could not have come to power again. Castism and communal vote-politics is a hard reality which Anna and his team cannot surmount. Had they been a bit wiser they would have supported a political party that is less corruptible, less immoral and less debased.

It is also a bleak fact that most of the news-papers and electronic media are owned by corrupt business & industrial houses

The electronic and print media in India are under tremendous govt. pressure today.  The print media are totally dependent on govt. advertisements. The electronic channels are epitome of greed and rapacity. Thousands of crores of money are being spent by the union and state governments to corrupt the media and they in turn are always willing to sing a paean in their masters’ voice. 

The way the media has brazenly conducted themselves   while airing partial & biased reporting of the Bodo land carnage in Assam, we all have genuine fears that  communal forces out to take undue advantage of the vote-politics are hell bent on ruining this country. And the brokers of the media and power in unison will dent the sovereignty & integrity of the country an irreparable blow. We are also at loss why the corrupt media is espousing the cause of Bangladeshi and Pakistani intruders.

It is also a bleak fact that most of the news-papers and electronic media are owned by corrupt business & industrial houses having economic and political interests.