A DREAM RAPED AND KILLED

Every day I open the newspaper dreading that I’ll have to come across more horror stories about rape, murder, corrupt politicians , inefficient policemen and more injustice and each time my fears come true. But I still have to open it every day in order to stay updated about what’s happening around --- be it revolution in political arena, the effectiveness of media in exposing numerous scams, India’s economic trajectory in short whatever really matters but unfortunately alongside this I often have to unwillingly come across unimportant and unworthy pieces like ‘ 10-yr old molested by doc’, ‘ school-girl molested by teacher’, ’BPO employee abducted and raped’,’ teenage girl forced into marriage’ . I know no one in our country gives a damn about these , these are just the stories of few unknown girls who had an unfortunate event in their lives . But is it merely that , just a story to adorn the pages of an esteemed daily? Aren’t these people as much alive as you and me with their own hopes, dreams and families , can all that pain , trauma , denial be summed up in an article which anyone barely reads and even if we do so we forget all of it within moments after we put down the paper. Are these lives indeed that detached from us , are their stories indeed so distant from ours ??? It isn’t , they are part of this society ,this country and what happened to them is a reflection of what we are as a society but we don’t realize it . we find it difficult to accept their life to be a part of ours unless our lives become shattered by something similar. Cases of sexual harassment of women . domestic violence, injustice are rampant in our country and these stories appear in the dailies almost everyday . I used to write regularly in blogs on such cases previously, but I gave up because the situation seemed hopeless and frustrating and I ran out of words trying to speak of it. But then after such a long time this story (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Schoolgirl-raped-killed/articleshow/7181507.cms) which appeared in TOI compelled me to pick up my pen, in this case my keyboard once again and type down my feelings.

The story centred around a 17-yr old girl and what made her different from other girls of her village was that she had a dream , a dream to study, to learn more inspite of having very meager means . Her father was a farmer who seeing her strong desire to study worked day and night and tried his best to provide for her school fees. But difficult times came but that didn’t deter this brave girl from loyally pursuing her dreams , she started giving tuitions in order to be able to pay her school fees and support her family. Local residents loved her very much for her determination . And then one evening when she was studying in class 11 she went out at 6 p.m as usual towards her student’s home but unlike other days she didn’t return . That night her parents lodged a missing person’s report at the police station . The police search began , they couldn’t find her , all they found was a dead girl’s body, raped and strangled lying in the middle of a field ……. And I don’t think they ever will find her ………A daughter , a hope , a dream lost for ever and what was her fault ? she came in the way of a few men looking for some ‘fun’ .

2 days later the police report says “ Offenders are absconding , police are yet to round them up..” and I know even 100 years later also the report like many others reports which get stashed in the police godown or burnt as old useless junk will still be reading the same …… That’s it ; That was it and That’ll be all ,

A GIRL’S LIFE = A CLOSED CASE …..