She was bleeding excessively. Her eyes were swollen, dark like it has been punched badly. She wasn't even able to breathe properly. Standing on her own feet was painful for her. This all happened because she was raped and she became someone's target. Not only just raped but brutally raped. Her condition depicts she will hardly live for another 24 hours. The moment she is taken to the hospital, the doctor says that she is dead. There comes the end of her life; a dreadful end. Earlier it was Nirbhaya, then Asifa and now it's Twinkle. I am scared to step out of my home. Who knows I can be the next. Every single girl is today living with the fear somewhere in her heart that she can be the next victim. There is no single day when we stay unheard of issues as such. Rape has become so casual in our country that most of the cases go unnoticed and unreported. Every city is falling under its trap and is covered under its darkness. But my question is why did the life of a 3 year old girl ended when it was just the beginning? She wasn't even aware of the cruelty of this world. Even she didn't harm a single soul. She was oblivious of the ups and downs in life. Then why she had to pay her life?
The rape incident of Twinkle Sharma in Aligarh has shaken the whole world. It has even made the Mother Earth cry on seeing this pathetic condition of this nation. Back to back, we are coming across one or the other rape cases in about every week. Be it Delhi, Unnao, Kathua, Aligarh or Bhopal, no city is left untouched by these horrifying cases. A data of 2016 by NCRB states that India recorded 106 rapes a day and fur out of every ten victims were minors. The Aligarh case of Twinkle Sharma was even more monstrous where the 3 year old child was abducted, raped and killed brutally. It all happened because of certain monetary dispute of her father with a person who took revenge so harshly. The body of the girl was dumped in garbage and it was later found after three days when stray dogs carried out her body from the dumping ground and were snatching it badly. It can be inferred from the fact that people are turning insane out of their greed of wealth. Was it sensible to kill a small child that too cruelly out of personal grudge? It sounds as if no sensibility is left in the people of this nation. Leave apart, workplaces, schools or colleges, girls are not safe even at their home. In fact, the way we are hearing about the minor rape cases, it suggests parents of the little girls should stay cautious every minute.
Today, this incident has become a national issue, because this incident has however left the entire nation fuming in anger. Be it the BJP government or Congress in power, the need is to draw attention towards this matter seriously. The survey of Human Rights Watch says that more than 7200 minors are raped each year in India. This counting increases every year. Among these, the victims who do report the assault are in turn either humiliated by the police or mistreated if they belong to poor family. Not only are the young girls in their 20s getting raped, but also the 70 year old woman and 3 year old child suffer from the same pain. Such a fact of shame it is. Is it the reason we are still the citizens of a developing nation and that not of developed. Even the sensitive issues like rape are connected with religion and are made an issue of debate rather than of prevention. People fighting for religion under the veil of these issues are making India a place where survival becomes tough.
Blessed are we in some places as we have a long history dating back to the laws against rape. It was in 1983, when there was a change introduced in Section 114 (A) of Indian Evidence Act, after a young girl in Mathura was raped by two policemen. Again in 2002, there was an amendment in Criminal Law after an NGO named 'Sakshi' filed a PIL for issues as of rape. Next, in 2012, Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) came into effect after a statistical report said that from 2001-2011 there was a 336% increase in child rape cases. Again, in the same year, after the Nirbhaya Rape Case, fast track courts were made to prosecute rape cases. Later, in 2013, an amendment was made in Criminal Law, in which acts like stalking, acid attack was added under definition of rape. In the year 2018, an ordinance was passed after the Asifa Bano's rape case in Kathua. But the question is that are these laws of any use when it is not being implemented seriously? All these laws are in vain until and unless these issues get stopped. This shows the failure of these laws as back to back these heinous crimes are taking place on a high rate. The government, society, law and lawmakers, all of them are responsible for such mishaps. We need to find the fault, we need to see the loopholes in the system and try to figure out ways to stop it.
We are the citizens of this nation who worship mother earth. Goddesses are worshipped and females are treated as deity. But on the other hand, they are insulted, assaulted and raped. Minor rapes are posing a threat to our own society thereby degrading the image of our nation. The need of the hour is not just to organise candle march and post photographs on social media with placards but to think of ways to incite the government and the law makers to work on this issue. The time is not to burn the candles but to burn this violence. The urge is to bring about an agitation if the system doesn't work sincerely against this issue. It's not about the mishaps with someone else; you and I can be the next. We, the citizens of India, speaking proudly of unity, harmony and brotherhood should show theses in our acts. Our words now should not stay as words but should reflect ferociously in our actions, for the good and against the evil. As a parent, guide, mentor, senior, teach every men to respect the women folk. Only then you are supposed to be called an 'Indian'
