Just 11 days before the 2nd year anniversary of the most horrifying rape heard of in recent history, the clarion for women’s security began sounding once again. A 27-year-old woman in Delhi had to pay a huge price for dozing off on the back seat of a cab. She was thrashed, assaulted and finally raped!
The girl did not fight back in fear of having an iron rod inserted in her genitals. Drenched in tears she watched the hideous man overpower and rape her.
Among various other questions raised, a finger is always pointed towards the Delhi Police Department. A volley of questions was unleashed at the police. Was there no Police Control Room (PCR) vans patrolling in Inderlok area, no matter how secluded or desolated it is?
Today every woman is heard screaming- Why can’t I party till late? Why do I have to rely on a male friend or a family member to ferry me around? Why do I have to live with a recurring fear even when being driven home by a male friend? What is Delhi Police doing to protect women?
We have always blamed the police but has anyone of us ever spared a moment to think of all the pain incurred while performing their duty. We sleep soundly only because they burn the midnight oil even in bone-chilling winter nights of Delhi.
Agony of the police!
Skymet took the initiative to speak to police officers about their feelings for being blamed for every crime committed in the city. It’s quite painful for them to accept the fact that they have no support from public even after doing their best. It is true that corruption, callousness and venality have overshadowed every institution and department of the country. But what happens to those who have spent their entire lives at the country’s service?
“It hurts to see the agonised eyes of women staring at us with contempt”, exclaims a police constable of Mayur Vihar. The bitter truth is that the rising rape cases have forced women to indulge in intense paranoia.
Surviving winters
Surviving the bone-chilling winters of Delhi can be a tough job, especially at night. Winter or summer, police has to perform their duty.
Modi said, “Good days are coming”. But has the new government been any good to the Police Department? Some were indifferent to our queries, few came upfront and denied of any change but others did accept that Modi government looks promising.
It is true that Delhi remains unsafe for women despite a slew of stringent laws brought in after the Nirbhaya case of December 16, 2012. Blaming the police is not the ultimate recourse and we should rather walk hand in hand with them. It’s the responsibility of each and every citizen to make our country a better place to live in.
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