Trigger Warning: Rape
Today, I was shocked after reading the news that reappeared on my screen twice while watching the India-Bangladesh match. The news stated that a man from Bihar, the father of two minor girls, raped them for almost a decade to have a son after consulting a tantrik (occultist). As per the news reports, the accused consulted a local tantrik in 2012. The tantrik advised the accused to rape his minor daughters.
The accused had a son later, but the occultist threatened the boy’s life and advised the accused to commit rapes continuously. Further, the reports also highlighted that the occultist also raped minor girls. The report also revealed that the rape survivors’ mother and aunt instigated the father and occultist to commit such heinous acts.
Later, the minor sisters gathered courage and sought help from the police to register the case. On Tuesday (September 12), a local POCSO court in Buxar announced a life sentence for the accused father, Binod Kumar Singh, and the occultist, Ajay Kumar. The court also sentenced imprisonment of 20 years to the mother and aunt for instigation as highlighted above.
The Son-Preference Model: Reproduction vs. Production
This is what we pay for being women in a society that has succumbed to the capitalist model of production. The debate of reproduction versus production has always haunted us. We are tilled like a field (zayadad) to sow seeds of our reproductive labor to preserve dignity and produce laborers who could till the field for another generation.
If this is the only possibility we ought to have, then a woman’s persistence to exist in a toxic, male-centric society has devalued the freedom to lead a dignified life. The horrifying incident creates a rumble and shows us the chaotic side of society that is not scientifically or ethically trained to even run it.
Science vs. Superstition: What do we prefer?
This incident also provokes us to wonder if we are educated enough. Why would someone go to an occultist to have a son? It is sperm that decides the sex of the child, as science clearly states. Lack of education and scientific temperament could lead us to believe in superstitions that are not based on any logical interface.
As a society, are we educated enough? While there is so much ‘hush-hush’ on sex education but incidences like these could have been addressed if we understand the psychology and science behind sexuality. Sexuality studies is not an elite course. It should be made compulsory.
The dignified motherhood or the primitive subjugation?
What are we up to? Dignifying a toxic relationship which has always been based out of patriarchal trap and masculine hierarchy. Utter nonsense! In this case, mother and aunt instigating criminals to commit such heinous crimes clearly reflects the consciousness women are tamed to have. A low-lying, self-doubting consciousness where the self is not aligned to take decision. This should be called tamed misalignment which itself is a conspiracy against women. It’s true to say that it is the woman who gets victimised, make other women and girls’ victim too.
The strangulated and deregulated family systems should be closely monitored by the law. However, law is equally run by patriarchs who demolish the value of justice and empowerment. However, in this case, the law tried to uphold its position. But how far have we reached in claiming justice?
Democracy: No more a concept but a question
What kind of democracy do we claim to have? A democracy trapped in the hands of patriarchs or a democracy that allows such incidences to take place every now and then. If this remains the case then, women can never become proactive architects of nation. A nation that is too indifferent towards its women should lie in ruins and chaos.
The rulers should code it in a better manner because a nation cannot exist with strong and affirmative women who valiantly choose to fight against all odds like in this case the two survivors did.