Are we truly safe?

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Are we truly safe?


Ankita Majumder
Sem II, 2024


As the country was going to celebrate it’s 78th Independence Day, a news spread like wildfire on 10th August, stating how a aspiring female doctor, Dr. Moumita Debnath, a second year postgraduate student at R.G. Kar Medical Hospital was found dead. 
It was stated that she was brutally raped and murdered. The incident occurred on 9th August and her body was found in the seminar hall on 10th August at 7:30 a.m. 
And not only this one there are several more incidents similar to this one occuring every where in our country. 
After the Nirbhaya Rape And Murder Case in the year of 2012, there are more cases like that which makes every one of the female question – Are we really safe? 

Shakti Mill Gang Rape Case – Mumbai’s Shocking Assaults. In Shakti Mills compund in South Mumbai, 5 males including a juvenile assaulted a 22 year old photo journalist. 
 
 2016 Ariyalur Gang-rape Case – Pregnant teen’s unthinkable ordeal. On Dec. 2016, the union secretary of Hindu Munnani and three associates perpetrated a horrifying gang rape and murder of a 17 year old pregnant dalit girl in Ariyalur, Tamil Nadu. 

 
 Unnao Rape Case – Survivor’s desperate plea for justice. In June 2017, a 17 year old girl in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh, fell victim to a brutal gang rape. Seeking justice she attempted self immolation outside the residence of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath a year later in April 2018. 

 Hyderabad Rape – Tragic end for veterinary doctor. In Nov. 2019, four individuals allegedly raped and murdered a 26 year old veterinary doctor. 


 Hathras Rape – Battle for Justice. On 14th Sept. 2020, 4 upper caste men allegedly gangraped a 19 year old dalit woman in Hathras, UP. Two weeks later, after her demise, the police forcibly cremated her without her family’s consent – it’s a claim that was being denied by the authorities. 

 Rape of six-year-old at Vibgyor High July, 2014. Protests flared in Bangalore after a six-year-old was allegedly raped by school staff at an international school, Vibgyor High. Two gymnastics instructors, Lal Giri and Wasim Pasha, were arrested in the case. A final chargesheet incriminated the school’s chairman, Rustom Kerawala, in addition to the two accused.


According to data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), 4,28,278 cases of crimes against women were registered in 2021, up by 56,775 since 2020. In 2012, the year ‘Nirbhaya’ was raped, India had 2,44,270 reported cases of crimes against women. 
The ones I have written up above, can be said is a mere droplet of water in a ocean of filth. There are many more cases that have not reached up to our ears and might never do so as well. Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Mumbai, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu every where, in every nook and corner, these types of monsters resides and then the society blames the females for being alone at night, for wearing outfits of our choice, and simply for raising our voices against the injustice. 
So many years, after getting freedom from the British Rule, women are still struggling to live a safe and happy life. Even after so many years, the society thinks that the girls have been given way more freedom than they deserve. After fighting for justice for many years, can a female really say that she is safe? I don’t think so. 
That time it was Nirbhaya. 
Now it is Moumita. 
How many more Nirbhaya and Moumita have to lose their lives, for this nation, for the society and for the system to understand what is actually wrong. 
It’s a sad reality we are living in today. 

It took Nirbhaya 12 years to finally get the justice she deserves. God knows how many days, weeks, months or years it will take for Moumita to get the justice she deserves. 
78 years since Independence. 
But the question lies about what kind of freedom are we celebrating? Is it the freedom for males to think of females as their playthings? Is it the freedom for females to not feeling safe anywhere – be it house, school, college, workplace, in a random vehicle? Is it the freedom of framing rape as suicide? Is it the freedom of letting the culprits, the rapists roam around on the streets like a free man? Is it the freedom where the country that celebrates Durga Puja in such a grand scale for four auspicious days treats females in such a horrifying manner almost every day?  
Reference:- 
Mirror Now Digital/5 rape cases that shook India after Nirbhaya/https://www-timesnownews-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.timesnownews.com/mirror-now/crime/5-rape-cases-that-shook-india-after-nirbhaya-article-106035875/amp?amp_gsa=1&amp_js_v=a9&usqp=mq331AQIUAKwASCAAgM%3D#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=17236614820089&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.timesnownews.com%2Fmirror-now%2Fcrime%2F5-rape-cases-that-shook-india-after-nirbhaya-article-106035875/ on 16.12.2023 

Hindi Patrika/Vivek Kumar/ What happened to the doctor at R. G. Kar Medical College?/ https://www.hindipatrika.com/what-happened-to-dr-moumita-debnath-at-rg-kar-medical-college/ on 13. 08.2024

Image courtesy 
https://garvitsharma416.medium.com/stand-up-for-women-safety-5e7c4f1c4c26

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