60 Years On - An unfulfilled Pledge

The murder of Scarlett Keeling has brought to the forefront several aspects which children today face – the usage of drugs, a troubled home , an incorrect upbringing etc etc. The media around the world especially the Indian and British Media have highlighted all these issues which the poor murdered girl faced but isn’t it fair to say that all of us while discussing this ghastly murder have comfortable forgotten one issue – the safety of women in India.
Crime against women in India are increasing at an alarming rate and has always been very high. Delhi has an ugly record in this matter and Bangalore is fast catching up with Delhi. Lets not forget that acts such as acid attacks on women are as violent as a murder, then why does the former have a very mild punishment when compared to the latter! An acid attack victim has permanently disfigured body parts and faces the mental trauma of going through life with it.
All of us have been seeing the media bring up reports on the shabby home in which Scarlett lived, her mother’s past relationships with men and a jail stint etc etc. The Indian media has borrowed the same idea and cluttered its pages with such news reports. Even if the media is not ready to sympathize with the bereaved family , it can atleast avoid spitting venom at the family at such a sorrow time.
Fiona may have had a very turbulent past and may not have raised her children in the best way but is there any doubt that she is going through one of the saddest phases of life. If any one of us have been wronged we certainly believe in getting the man or woman who wronged us to justice. Fiona is trying to get the accused to trial and in the process get some justice for her daughter. Shouldn’t we first help her in getting justice coz its after all one of our Indian brothers who is the accused !
I was listening to Nehru’s Tryst with Destiny Speech yesterday and the words echoed in my head when he said that “at this solemn moment we take the pledge of dedication to the service of India and her people and to the still larger cause of humanity”. Every child should have a decent shot a life. Scarlett might not have had one but that does not mean that she does not have a decent shot at death. She lost her life on India’s soil in a gruesome manner and the law of the land should do justice to her and to several other women like her. After all India made a tryst with destiny 60 years ago and it has not redeemed its pledge even substantially if not wholly !