Category: Lok Issues

LokMarg team speaks to people on Namami Gange project, one of the pet projects of Narendra Modi government launched in June 2014. People feel that the project has given yet another milch cow to officers and politicians.

Uttiyo Mallick, 31, a lawyer at Kolkata High Court, says the Unnao case is a beacon of hope for rape victims in small towns and villages. He lauds the courage of the survivor and her family for their support.

The political and bureaucratic high handedness has always been an impediment to the delivery of justice in our country. I am talking about all kind of offences here and not just rape cases. However, not many people have been able to show the guts that this young girl from Unnao has been able to show in persistently fighting for justice for more than a year now. It is amazing to see how supportive her family is. 

I was shocked and appalled when I heard of the accident. This is the second case of killing and attempting to kill people related to this case (the death of her father’s murder witness is another case). Protection from the learned court should have been provided much earlier in this case. Also, investigation should be done about the absence of her security cover during this accident. If the Supreme Court had taken suo moto cognizance of the matter, then the girl and her family wouldn’t have suffered as much. 

I feel now, fresh FIRs need to be filed against the accused. Also, the victim, her family, her lawyer and his family should be ensured a security cover at all times. The proceedings should be shifted to another place if the victim so wants it.

Women in villages and small towns (like Unnao) are still not aware of their legal rights or the legal aid they are entitled to. Most women don’t have the courage to report the assault on them and neither are their families supportive. In fact, in small towns rape cases are often settled out of court by providing monetary compensation to the victims. That is why the Unnao case is so different. Both the immediate family as well as relatives are very supportive and the victim herself is so courageous. 

One of my clients was threatened with repeated assault (rape) if she did not withdraw the rape case that was already in court. They also tried to pay her off to withdraw the case, but I am proud she did not give in. 

It has been widely reported that West Bengal is safe for women, however instances of molestation and outraging modesty women are very common. If not for social media, many of these cases might have been unknown. However, social media doesn’t always serve as a handy tool for the uneducated and unaware masses. 

A preventive mechanism is needed, rather than legal solutions for later. The kind of burden our courts already face, prevention is better than cure. The cases stretch on for years. I have been an observer as well as a participant in various legal aid camps in villages and small towns, I have noticed that education level and financial condition of the victim’s family are the two of the biggest impediments in grievance redressal of  victims. 

Media can play a vital role in popularising these legal aid camps so that more people can participate in it. Plus, the young generation of lawyers should also play an active role in making the masses aware of their legal rights. The civil society should also take care not to shame the victims or get involved in providing justice to the accused on their own. The Apex Court will not have to use its precious time to interfere in the case of heinous crimes then, for the High Courts will then be able to handle them. I am happy that fast track courts are doing their work effectively and efficiently in West Bengal.  

However, in all this, one should not forget about the problem of fake rape cases. Such cases do injustice to real victims who suffer endless trauma. This is another aspect where mass sensitization as well as social change is required.

Ritu Narang, 45 is a social worker based in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, shudders at the trauma faced by the Unnao rape survivor. She feels such cases expose the hollowness of cosmetic campaigns like Beti Bachao Beti Padhao.

The government often gloats about ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ and empowerment of women. It introduces schemes and policies towards these ends. Celebrities endorse the cause. Then a case like the Unnao rape surfaces and shakes us all. And that makes me wonder, if the society has taken one step forward and two steps backwards. 

When I think about just how much this teenager from Unnao has suffered over the past two years, I shudder. Her case just proves that in small towns and villages, girls, who show the courage to speak up about sexual harassment, rape etc., are silenced by means direct and indirect. What use are laws if lawmakers themselves twist it and use it against victims? What use are laws if the victim is no more alive to see justice? 

The Unnao victim was raped when she went seeking a job. Now, knowing that her father is no more and even her uncle is in jail, I wonder how her family must have survived for the last two years. In small towns, rape isn’t just a physical and mental crisis for the victim, it becomes an existential crisis for the entire family, battling stigma and poverty. 

If families of rape and abuse victims are supportive, this battle with the rest of the society becomes a little easier. But in my career, I have come up with several cases where the abuse is happening within the family.  

As a social worker working extensively towards women empowerment, I come across cases where the girls are being abused by their fathers and are being silenced by their mothers and elder siblings. There are cases, where more than one sibling is being abused. Even if we want to help in such cases, these young girls refuse to speak up or receive any kind of help. Living in fractured families, they find it difficult to trust anyone within their homes. With major trust issues, they do not trust any outsiders (social workers like me, who genuinely want to help) either. I am happy that I have helped these girls open up after working with them over a period of time. 

I strongly believe that all students, regardless of gender must be sensitised at school on various topics, which must include sex education. They need to be taught how to communicate well with the opposite gender. 

I have met many boys who have no idea how to speak to girls. They feel awkward around girls, even their sisters! Many a times, boys are just randomly beaten up for the mere act of walking with a girl. Is fear the foundation stone, on which a society is built or is it love?

Young boys in small towns and villages often fall victims to sexual harassment. Recently as part of the Balika Suraksha Abhiyan programme, when I went to a small town to make girls aware about women helpline number (1090), the girls asked me why the training was only meant for girls. Why aren’t there enough programmes to make men aware about just how their behaviours affect women? 

I have suggested principals at various schools to run awareness programmes for both boys and girls, every week. If schools can put so much dedication into preparing for annual day, sports day etc., they can very well earmark a day for social awareness programmes too.

After the abrogation of Article 370, Irfan, 22, a student of Delhi University who hails from Kashmir, is worried about his family members back home. He tells LokMarg whatever happens, peace must prevail in the valley.

I don’t want to mention my name or my native village as I fear that my family members back home will face consequences. The government owes an explanation to the people of Jammu and Kashmir over the abrogation of Article 370. And not all of us, who demand an explanation are separatists. Neither do all of us want to join Pakistan. 

However, voices of people who do not pelt stones or join violent processions and shout anti-India slogans are hardly ever heard on the Valley. 

Our voices are suppressed and nobody cares what we say. And all we want is peace. But advocating peace doesn’t mean that we are okay with the Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA). The AFSPA is not good for a democratic state.

The abrogation of Article 370 led to massive influx of security forces in the Valley. This triggered fear among all the residents, who wanted peace to prevail. There has been enough bloodshed and we need to fix accountability and act properly without any prejudices. AFSPA thus, has to go. 

Two weeks ago, when people cheered the Modi-Shah duo for finally abrogating Article 370, I was frantically trying to get in touch with my family back home, just to check if they were okay. But for two long, excruciating days I could not get in touch with them. I fail to understand how snapping the phone lines and internet services helped the government maintain peace and calm. I managed to speak to them only when the landline services were reinstated. The government cannot deny people their freedom to speech and expression. What they can do is effectively deal with the stone-pelters. 

There are many Kashmiri students in other cities of India and they are looking for a better future. They will never join the stone-pelters or separatists, nor are they going to pick up arms against their own. The politicians must think about those who are studying in good schools and colleges and working in MNCs and other corporate firms here, they shall be the face of Kashmir. 

Time has come that Kashmiri leaders and leaders at the Centre, think rationally. They must give peace a chance. Many young men are picking arms and getting killed in the Valley.  I wonder who is getting the benefit of all this bloodshed. Normalcy will surely return in the valley, all we have to do is to think about our past and learn lessons. The silent majority in Kashmir wants peace. Nobody wants to live under the shadow of Kalashnikovs.

(The picture is representational as the narrator did not want to share his photograph)

Rajendra Kumar, 49, a resident of Greater Noida, lives in a lane called Pakistani Gully. Residents here are often branded as ‘Pakistanis’, their children taunted in schools, and their papers eyed with suspicion, he tells LokMarg

Seventy two years ago, after partition, four of our ancestors escaped the bloodbath in Karachi, Pakistan and settled in Gautampuri –a locality in Dadri in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. The family grew. And now our entire clan owns about 60-70 homes in one particular lane. The lane is called Pakistan Gully. 

Just 35 km from the National Capital, the lane was christened ‘Pakistan Gully’ soon after our ancestors settled here. It was an empty piece of land with no landmarks, but the nickname given decades ago has managed to stick with the lane and continues to trouble us as a social stigma. We still carry the burden of this name on our identification cards. We have requested the government time and again to rename the colony but all in vain. 

The name of our lane has managed to single-handedly create havoc in our lives. One of my relatives went to the Vaishno Devi Shrine in Jammu. When he presented his identification card to book a hotel room, he was denied entry. He was allowed to book a room only after a thorough investigation by the hotel administration, which took around two long hours. 

Families often refused to marry their women to men living in this locality. Several marriage proposals were rejected. The name has stigmatised us and for no fault of ours. 

In another recent incident, parents of a student had to repeatedly convince a school to remove ‘Pakistani Gully’ from the identification card and daily dairy, which attracted taunts from fellow students. Children from our lane are often teased and humiliated and called ‘Pakistani’. 

‘It is just a name, get over it,’ some people tell us. They have no idea of the difficulties and the humiliation we have had to face. It is shocking, how after 72 years of Independence, families who migrated from Pakistan are still treated like an alien in their own country. India is our motherland and we will not accept any more taunts or cruel jokes. 

After bearing with this address for half of my life, I have put in a request for the address to be changed on my Aadhaar card. However, the address needs to be changed in the government records as well. We are Valmikis so we have suggested that Pakistani Gully be renamed as Valmiki colony.

A common refrain among people is that the Narendra Modi-led government has lived up to the promises made in its election manifesto. Also, the solution to the Kashmir problem is possible only when Modi is in power.

Aditi Bhan is a Kashmiri Pandit who was forced to migrate to Delhi in 1990 as a child, along with her family in Kashmir. She explains why Kashmiri Pandits finally have a reason to be happy

Article 370 now stands null and void. Kashmiri Pandits had been campaigning against the Aricle for years. And now when Kashmiri Pandits are celebrating, many journalists and Kashmiri Muslims, are openly stating that Pandits are happy because they are viewing it as a revenge for their exodus. Some even asking us (KPs) how’s this move going to ensure our return to the valley?  

I want to ask these people – Why should we, Kashmir Pandits, not be happy? We were thrown out of our houses and reduced to being a refugee in our own country. No one spoke about us, for us. The world remained a mute spectator to our exodus. What would you have done had this happened to you? At least, we did not pick up guns unlike others. Instead, we chose a peaceful way to set things right. And you call that revenge? 

Well then, call it what you like. But let me tell you, we are happy because this step gives us hope that we can now return to our homeland. And I, in my capacity as a Kashmiri Pandit and not as a Kashmiri woman (Thank God! There’s consensus, over the fact that the act was unfair to women), will tell you how.

I was in my pre-teens when I witnessed our exodus in 1990. My experiences in 1989-90 left me bitter about the place, its majority Muslim population. It shattered my trust in Muslims. And for years, I thought of Muslims as anti-Indian. It took me more than a decade and a number of interactions with Indian Muslims, to realise that the latter are as loyal to India as me or any KP. But even after all these years, I could never feel the same about Kashmiri Muslims. 

Twenty three years after our migration, I mustered enough courage to visit my homeland, Kashmir, for the first time in 2013 along with some of my family members. The violence that had engulfed the state during my childhood had worn out the state, its people. During my interaction with the local Muslims, I could sense their present-day sentiments – some detested our presence; some repented the violence committed against Pandits and hoped for our return; and some wanted peace to return to the valley. A large number wanted to be with India. But despite this visible change among people, I never felt absolutely safe among them. 

During my week-long stay there, not even once did I sleep properly. Even a whisper outside would wake me up, for it bought back memories of 19 January 1990 (the night when the whole valley reverberated with the war-cries of Islamists). No matter how nice the local muslims were to us, I found it hard to trust them. I was simply incapable of doing that, given my childhood experiences. And given my distrust, how could I even consider living with them again. This holds true for almost every Kashmiri Pandit, who had been on the receiving end of terrorism. Even if Delhi had given us free houses and hefty compensations, we would still not have gone back. We just do not feel safe there. There was no reason to believe that history won’t repeat itself. Especially, when terrorists had been quite vocal against our return.

Coming back to the question, how scrapping of Article 370 changes things for us? It paves the way for all Indians to go to Kashmir. With more pro-Indian people in the valley, we will not feel isolated, suffocated, and trapped in a hostile region. This in turn will give confidence to all those local Muslims, who want to live with India but are scared to say that because of the fear of anti-Indian elements. With more Indians there, the anti-Indian elements will have a reason to be fearful, not us. And this is why we are celebrating. And so is every pro-Indian Kashmiri that includes Muslims too.

In this second part of the video, displaced Kashmiri Pandits hope that soon they will be able to visit their ancestral land along with their children, without any fear of repercussion in their heart.