Before we delve deep into the sheer brutality of the Hathras rape case of a 19-year-old Dalit girl, let me draw the attention to the plethora of perspectives through which women of all ages are perceived in a society that is crippling in the abyss of its stereotyped notions, nomenclatured for its females as it is torn between the nemesis of patriarchy and the epitome of equity.
So what identity does a woman stand for? A software engineer, scientist, political analyst, teacher? Yes, that is her profession, but who is she? She is an obedient daughter, dutiful wife, obliged mother. Their voices are not meant to be raised but be tender enough to “be ladylike”. Their intellect is not for questioning, but meek submission to the platter presented to them. To finally garnish her identity, add to this “nuanced identity”, the layer of caste and the concoction stands as the most justified and comprehensive “moral code of conduct.”
The harrowing brazenness and sheer inhumanity of the 19-year-old “Dalit” girl gang rape case by four upper-caste men is just a spotlight of this garnished identity. In an environment where women are taught to bite their tongues and bow their heads in all aspects of their preferences, let the fact be reiterated that we are held back by a vicious cycle of rape culture and female objectification where such instances have happened, is happening and is bound to happen again. As Napoleon Bonaparte rightly pointed out: “History is the version of past events that people have decided to agree upon.”
Notwithstanding the initial rage and demand for accountability, it’s a raw fact that we have legitimised and familiarised our “tech-savvy mindsets” to an epoch of rape culture and patriarchy, at a time when the nation is just recuperating from the delayed justice meted out to the convicts of the Nirbhaya rape case after more than a decade long strife, at a juncture when the nation is scarred by the horrifying realities of the Unnao rape case and most recently, death of a Hyderabad based doctor after being gang-raped. In this age where every day, social media is flooded with instances of sexual harassment and molestation, this instance is yet another grave reminder of the culture that has long been internalised by the herd mentality.
The ceaseless defendants of the blatant rapists further vilify the very idea of democracy to bottomless anarchy. Moreover, the self-perpetuating caste hierarchy has also belittled our sovereign, socialist, secular democratic republic into a travesty of justice.
With all due respect to the principles of indiscrimination enshrined in the constitution, let us reacquaint ourselves with the ground reality that the Dalit community is being ostracised, this caste-ridden society suppresses their aspirations and voices. The cremation of the mortal remains of the victim allegedly without the consent and presence of any of its family members by the police is an absolute betrayal of the faith reposed in the protectorate of law and order in the country which should ideally be instrumental in securing justice.
Cocooned comfortably amidst our virtual screens, it’s impossible to conjecture the menace that haunts the Dalits perpetually. The moaning of a Dalit mother when she sees her daughter on the funeral pyre after being sexually assaulted. The helplessness of the silenced tongues under the pressure of men in power. The social ostracism of the victim’s family does not differ from the other men of flesh and blood. It’s real, raw, piercing, unimaginable.
When will the parameters of caste not be a factor in defining one’s dignity? When will the government realise that the worth of a victim is not a mere ₹50 lakh? When will these barbaric acts of humanity be spared from the purview of political humdrum?
Unfortunately, it’s an age of controversies, not of questions. Genuine voices are muted and dragged into the political imbroglio. We are in a country where the height of a temple surpasses the very idea of humanity, where the Hindutva rhetoric mingles into a casteist regime, where victims are bought with the greed for money and lust for power. Unless the citizens cast off their complacency and raise questions on issues that matter, it will be too late when the already segregated community is pushed beyond the periphery into a perpetual decline.
Thus, concluding with my address to all those rational, enlightened minds, it’s no more just a game of caste endogamy. It’s the very self-perpetuating culture that you and I live through, in a system that has failed us over and over again. Our dissent can make a difference. Our questions can spark reform. Our perspectives can strike a change at least in favour of a government which prioritises sexual harassment issues, economic crisis, unemployment and migrant deaths over mounting temples, political blame-game and Bollywood drug cartels.