Page 29 - Tehelka Issue 8&9

women abuse

Kathua rape case and its

probable political fallout

The widespread sense that BJP’s ideology is culpable for the rapes in Kathua and Unnao is
unlikely to go away easily. Now, much is dependent on how the politics over the Kathua case
shapes up in J&K and how the accused are dealt with, writes riyaz wani

he ousted J&K BJP min- But, the situation transformed, Bakerwal community from the area.
ister, Chaudhary Lal when on April 9, the Crime Branch But the plan didn’t work out along
Singh, is holding rallies produced charge-sheet against the the expected lines. The minor was
in Jammu in support of accused. The charge-sheet graphi- soon arrested and upon his interro-
T the CBI probe in the rape cally revealed how the eight-year- gation, the criminal conspiracy was
and murder of the eight-year-old old girl was recurrently sedated and unravelled.
girl in Kathua. The implicit rationale gang-raped by the men over the Shockingly, the lawyers at the
for this mobilisation is that the in- week that she was held captive in a Kathua court tried to stop the filing
vestigation carried out by the state’s temple. of the charge-sheet. The Bar asso-
Crime Branch team has unfairly Sanji Ram, a former revenue of- ciation of Kathua district protested
charged the accused. Why? Because ficial, had meticulously planned on the court premises and shouted
most of the members of the team the horrible crime. He recruited his slogans against the Crime Branch
are Muslims-albeit it is headed by a son Vishal Kumar, sixteen-year-old officials.
Hindu, according to Singh. nephew, SPO Deepak Khajuria and It has been quite a turnaround photos: faisal khan
Lal Singh’s week-long campaign a cop among others to carry out in the case ever since. After the case
has been attracting thousands the crime. According to the charge being overlooked for three months including celebrities and members • Justice demanded Protsters demand of CBI the BJP is somehow ideologically cul-
of people. He along with another sheet, the boy was deliberately cho- and largely played down in the me- from cricket and Bollywood fraternity. inquiry in the Kathua rape and murder case pable for the two crimes, more so in
minister Chander Prakash Ganga sen to play a role in the abduction dia, the crime suddenly broke upon In some major cities, large protests Kathua, is unlikely to go away easily.
was forced to resign by the party and killing of the girl, so that if he the national consciousness with all were held in support of the justice for “If the ideological narrative of the
for their earlier participation in the is arrested he would be let off with its ghastly details. This triggered an the victim. Some artists even per - These wide repercussions have lent BJP government in New Delhi current-
rally by Hindu Ekta Manch (Hin- minimal punishment. outrage not only in Kashmir but all formed on the streets to draw attention the crime an overarching political ly appears to have taken some beating,
du Unity Forum) where they had The objective of the crime, as across the country and world. Even to the crime and videos circulating on dimension, both in J&K and at the na- the credit goes to the public outrage
spoken in favour of the accused. turned out now, was to expel the the United Nations Secretary Gen- social media have shown some singers tional level. It is already anticipated to generated by the rape and murder of
Ganga called the then ongoing po- eral, António Guterres, sought se- musically expressing the horror. be the BJP’s Nirbhaya moment. Just as an 8-year-old child in Kathua. And, also
lice enquiry into the crime a “jun- vere punishment for the killers. In Kashmir, a new wave of student the rape and murder of a girl in Delhi the rape in Unnao in Uttar Pradesh by a
gle raj” which had booked people Kathua case “We, very much hope that the protests has begun in response to the in 2012 had galvanised public opin- powerful BJP MLA,” an analytical piece
randomly. authorities will bring the perpetra- preceding knowledge of the horrors ion against the then UPA government, in a J&K daily read. “The incidents be-
Over time, the Hindu Ekta triggered an outrage tors to justice so they can be held ac- that the victim had to endure in captiv- Kathua case and the rape of a girl by a tween them hold a mirror to the new
Manch garnered support from not only in Kashmir countable,” a spokesperson for the ity. Almost every day, since the charge- BJP legislator in Unnao could similarly India. In case of Kathua, it shows how
more sections of the civil society UN SecretaryGeneral said. sheet was made public, there have been alienate the large swathes of the popu- an ideology can be used to sanction an
including the Jammu High Court but all across the On his visit abroad, Prime Minis- protests in the Valley in support of the lation from the NDA regime. unspeakable crime against an eight-
Bar Association which organised a country and world. ter Narendra Modi was told by the justice. The students from various col- The Prime Minister was quick to year-old girl.”
bandh in support of the CBI probe chief of the International Monetary leges, including the girl students, have sense this. Responding to the public In an election year, a perception like
on April 11. The BJP too adopted an Even the United Fund, Christine Lagarde, to ensure hit the streets against the crime and the outrage, Modi promised justice to “our this and its resonance among a signifi-
ambivalent approach towards the Nations Secretary more safety for women in India. alleged attempts to protect the accused. daughters” and also ensured that the cant section of the population can det-
demand, with some of its leaders Scores of the students have been in- two BJP ministers in J&K who had ral- rimentally impact the electoral chances
choosing to play both ways. In fact, General António Kathua case galvanised civil jured in the process, some hit by bullets. lied around the accused were shown of the ruling party. However, much will
the Union Minister in Prime Minis- Guterres so ught society Other sections of the society have the door. What’s more? Both the Union depend on how the politics over the
ter’s Office, Dr Jitendra Singh, who The crime has galvanised the civil too participated. The shopkeepers in and the J&K cabinets have approved Kathua case shapes up in J&K and how
hails from the state, was the first to severe punishment society in the country in a big way. major markets have observed one hour ordinances allowing the death penalty the accused are dealt with.
support Hindu Ekta Manch, and is for the killers People from all over the country token strikes to press their demand for the accused.
still in favour of the CBI probe. have protested against the crime, for justice. However, the widespread sense that letters@tehelka.com

tehelka / 15 may 2018 28 www.tehelka.com tehelka / 15 may 2018 29 www.tehelka.com

28-29 Kathua Rape Riyaz Wani.indd 2-3 02/05/18 5:35 PM