Yet another rape in Delhi, now in a moving car, raises serious questions about women’s safety
Yet another rape has shocked the Capital. Despite an “efficient” Government at the Centre and a “sensitive” Government in the State, women continue to remain unsafe. Delhi can be dubbed as the ‘rape capital’ of the country. In the latest shocker, a 35-year-old Ghaziabad resident was raped in a moving car in Northeast Delhi on August 16, the day after Independence Day; a rerun of the Nirbhaya and many other cases. The perpetrators had lured the woman on the pretext of giving her a job. They drove her around the Shastri Park area and raped her in the moving car. The two accused have been arrested as the woman remembered the car number. However, this isn’t an isolated incident. A few weeks back, a minor Dalit girl was raped and murdered in Delhi. Women’s safety in the Capital remains a big question mark despite lip-service from all political parties. After Nirbhaya, several measures were announced but not executed. The police barricades, that we all are accustomed to, do not deter criminals. The police are under the Ministry of Home Affairs and they should be held accountable for any security lapse.
But the Arvind Kejriwal-led State Government must also own up responsibility. His commitment to providing street lighting in all nooks and corners of the city has fallen short of target. Similarly, the CCTVs installation work hasn’t been completed yet. The tall claims made by the AAP Government do not match its performance. Besides, the policing of the outer areas of the Capital is not up to the mark. A large number of police personnel are deployed for VVIP security, leaving little manpower for deployment in the city. Many other reasons can be attributed to the crimes against women in general and rape in particular. The easy availability of porn and a conservative society puts adolescents in a confused mindspace. Despite a pressing need for sex education, it is virtually absent in the country. The feudal mindset, coupled with the notion that you can get away with it, seems to embolden the perpetrators. The conviction rate in such cases remains dismally low. No doubt women’s safety cannot be achieved in a day. But a beginning can be made not only by strengthening the policing and providing women-friendly facilities in the city but also by changing the mindset with right education and sensitising the society at large.