Hyderabad Rape Case : Stop Diverting Attention From Real Solution

In a shocking and ghastly incident that has unfolded, a 27-year old veterinary doctor, Priyanka Reddy, from Hyderabad was trapped by four men by puncturing her bike, kidnapped on the pretext of helping her out, and then raped repeatedly and burnt alive.

The four persons who are being held for rape and murder of Priyanka Reddy are Mohammad Pasha, Shiva, Naveem and Chennakesavulu. They work on lorries as drivers and cleaners. While all of us should be demanding Justice for Priyanka Reddy, the BJP – IT cell sponsored hashtag #BalatkariMohammadNikala was trending on Twitter! This skewed and venomous political priority shows that the real outrage is not against the rape and concern about women safety, but about creating anger against the Muslim community. There were hundreds of tweets about “keeping Hindu daughters safe from Muslims”. One Muslim name is being isolated and violence against women is being used as fodder for communal scaremongering. This is doing nothing more than diverting the issue away from bringing about real solutions to prevent violence against women.

This reminds us of the 16 December 2012 gang rape case in Delhi, where a driver named Ram Singh and various helpers were found guilty. At that time, the entire working class “outsiders” (of Delhi) were viciously demonized. But the movement post the 16 December case led to the formation of the Justice Verma Committee, which recommended better street lighting, 24/7 public transport, more alert and gender sensitive policing, an end to victim blaming and changes in the law on violence against women. Nine years have passed, and Governments are yet to work upon these recommendations. The demands for gender sensitive urban planning and policing, better judicial system with more judges and courts and speedy trials have been neglected throughout. In the case of Priyanka also, the family has informed that the police delayed to even file a complaint, losing very precious time.

Several have also started demanding capital punishment for rapists. The Justice Verma Committee had recommended against death penalty, whereas governments have rushed to include death penalty in rape law. 24,212 cases of rape and sexual violence against women were registered between January and June in this year itself. While the number of such cases are this high, the conviction rate is very low. In cases of rape, only one out of every four is convicted. The real solution lies in a hundred percent conviction rate. When there will be fear that no perpetrator will go unpunished, will there be a real step forward in ensuring women’s safety.

On 29th November, a 20-year-old Dalit girl was found hanging in a private garden with stab marks and burn injuries in Kancheepuram in Tamil Nadu. The police are yet to identify the ones behind this. On 26 November, a 25 year old law student was abducted and gang raped in Ranchi, Jharkhand.

The increasing number of case of rape and violence against women is telling of the fact that Governments need to act urgently to ensure Freedom without Fear for women. Implementation of the Justice Varma Committee recommendations must be an immediate step. Speedy trial and conviction in each and every case must be ensured.

While demanding for justice for each and every case of violence against women, we strongly condemn the attempt to communalize the rape and murder of Priyanka Reddy. We must not allow anyone to divert attention from the real solutions that prevent violence against women.

To Know more read this twitter thread by former AISA leader , Kavita Krishnan.

To read Justice Verma Report click here.

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