Although a forensic report says that the victim wasn’t raped, the truth that can’t be denied is that there was torture on that girl that ultimately claimed her life. Those who did this crime, whether it’s a rape or a gangrape or a murder will be investigated by the CBI, which was requested by the chief minister Yogi Adityanath, deserve strong punishment. That the girl belongs to the marginalised Dalit community, the bad shadow of the caste angle also comes to the picture. None can deny that injustices born out of caste prejudices still exist in India, particularly in rural parts of the country.

Also, the way the Yogi government handled the situation wasn’t right. The opposition leaders will go to the venue. It’s their duty. But initially the Yogi government blocked any opposition leader from visiting the place. In a democracy, this can’t be supported. True, often law and order situation goes out of control when opposition leaders, who are followed by their supporters, visit the place because sometimes it leads to clashes between supporters of the ruling party and opposition parties.

But that doesn’t mean that opposition leaders should be denied in a democracy to visit a victim’s family. Instead, a government should allow only selected representatives of opposition parties, while barring them from participating in any political activities to check on the law and order situation of that place. Sadly, state governments ruled by parties, cutting across ideologies, often don’t follow these norms of democracy in India.

Nevertheless, later the Yogi government allowed the opposition leaders to visit the victim’s family. It also suspended the SP and DSP of Hathras and requested the CBI to take over the case while UP police have arrested the four accused.

While Hathras became a spot for political tourism and discussion in the mainstream media, unfortunately, Balrampur of Uttar Pradesh didn’t. In Balrampur too, a 22 year old Dalit girl died after being allegedly gangraped. The question is: Why did one alleged gangrape case get highlighted and the other of the same state didn’t receive the same highlight? Why are the opposition leaders so eager to visit Hathras not bothering to visit Balrampur? Or is it because the alleged culprits in Balrampur belong to another religion, who are regarded as strong vote banks of these opposition parties? Is this the way the rape or gangrape cases against women, particularly the marginalised Dalit women, who become more easy targets due to their social backgrounds, be dealt by looking into vote bank politics?

Hathras and Balrampur cases once again have shown the politics of opportunism in the country. BJP accuses the Congress led Rajasthan government for its inaction to curb the sexual crimes against women in the state while such crimes against women continue in their own ruled states.

Also the same Congress, whose high-command leaders belonging to the Nehru-Gandhi family visited the Hathras victim’s family, although not going to Balrampur, reasons best known to them, criticising the BJP government of Uttar Pradesh are silent on their own party ruled Rajasthan. According to the data of National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) of 2019, Rajasthan tops the number of rape cases in the country followed by Uttar Pradesh.

Not only this, according to media reports, a Congress minister of Chhattisgarh even remarked that rape case of 14 year old girl of Balrampur of Chhattisgarh (not to be confused with Balrampur case of Uttar Pradesh) is “smaller than that of Hathras case”. On the other side, a BJP MLA of Uttar Pradesh remarked that the “daughters should be taught to be responsible by their family to avoid rape cases.” Is this is the way the political parties deal with rape cases in the country?

Political opportunism is in full play across the country after the Hathras case. Take the example of West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who organised protests against Hathras case in her own state. On the other hand, her own government didn’t even submit the state’s crime data of 2019 to NCRB in time. Isn’t this an act of irresponsibility from a government whose chief minister herself walks on road to protest crime cases of other states?

It is not that West Bengal’s record in curbing crimes against women is good. According to the NCRB report of 2018, West Bengal was the third most unsafe state after Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. The same report itself said that in 2018, West Bengal recorded the highest number of political murders in the country followed by Bihar and Maharashtra. This data on political murders in West Bengal correspond to the huge charges labelled by opposition parties (CPM and its other Left allies to Congress to BJP) against the Mamata Banerjee led Trinamool government for its failure to curb political murders of the opposition leaders and supporters in the state.

Truth is that all political parties have to be responsible. Those who are in opposition in one state and raising their voice against deterioration of law and order and rise of crimes against women in that state are in power in the other state, where the situation is not that different. Political opportunism isn’t the right solution in such cases and parties cutting across ideologies and regions have to understand this. (IPA Service)