Is a bravery award the answer to her trauma?
This article is about a tribal girl, who was molested publicly by hordes of people. If government wants to award her something it should not be a bravery award rather it should be punishment for the culprits.
IN THE month of August 2010, a story was reported with the title ‘tribal girl molested, police acts after MMS is circulated’. This was a shocking story of exploitation of an adivasi girl from a village in Birbhum district located along the West Bengal-Jharkhand border. This poor helpless girl was stripped naked, beaten by many people and forced to walk naked across three villages, for nearly 10 kilometers. The 15-year old girl was molested by men at every step and people even captured videos on their mobile phones. Hundreds of people watched and cheered at the spectacle. But nobody came forward to help her. Her ordeal was circulated as an MMS clips under the title ‘Adivasi Girl’. She was reportedly punished for loving a boy of another community. Police only reacted after the MMS clips went into wide circulation. Neither the girl nor her family came forward to lodge a complaint against the people involved in the case. Later, police arrested six persons under the pressure of women’s NGOs and media. As is the trend set by the slow judicial system all molesters have been bailed out and are roaming scot-free.
Now, this girl is back again in the news. She has been nominated for the National Bravery Award. Soumitra Mohan, District Magistrate, Birbhum said that he had received a letter from the Indian Council for Child Welfare (ICCW) for nominating the girl for the award. She had mustered courage to file a police complaint against her tormentors.
“We had recommended her name as she showed exemplary courage to expose the culprits who had also threatened her if she went to the police,” Mohan said. “Despite her parents not wanting to lodge a complaint because they feared a social boycott and knowing what could lie in store for her, the girl scraped enough courage to identify her tormentors at a police identification parade,” he said. The DM hoped that the award for the girl, who is staying in a government-run home, would get her more recognition for the courage she had demonstrated. A bank account has been opened in her name by him through which she would be able to draw money once she becomes an adult. The DM is surely under a wrong impression, he should understand that a girl, who has been through such a trauma and fearing social boycott would never go and lodge a complaint. She filed the complaint against the culprits with the help of NGOs. If the government wants to award her something it should not be bravery award but it should be punishment for the culprits. This case clearly shows that even after more than six decades of independence there is scant respect for women in our society.
Now, this girl is back again in the news. She has been nominated for the National Bravery Award. Soumitra Mohan, District Magistrate, Birbhum said that he had received a letter from the Indian Council for Child Welfare (ICCW) for nominating the girl for the award. She had mustered courage to file a police complaint against her tormentors.
“We had recommended her name as she showed exemplary courage to expose the culprits who had also threatened her if she went to the police,” Mohan said. “Despite her parents not wanting to lodge a complaint because they feared a social boycott and knowing what could lie in store for her, the girl scraped enough courage to identify her tormentors at a police identification parade,” he said. The DM hoped that the award for the girl, who is staying in a government-run home, would get her more recognition for the courage she had demonstrated. A bank account has been opened in her name by him through which she would be able to draw money once she becomes an adult. The DM is surely under a wrong impression, he should understand that a girl, who has been through such a trauma and fearing social boycott would never go and lodge a complaint. She filed the complaint against the culprits with the help of NGOs. If the government wants to award her something it should not be bravery award but it should be punishment for the culprits. This case clearly shows that even after more than six decades of independence there is scant respect for women in our society.
This is the story,we know.But what we don't know is that this is a very common thing in Indian backward places and for the poor section of people.The Panchyat,who suppressed the matter so long would not have done the same thing if it was his daughter.The conservator of law,thinks that they have done the right thing to punish the girl for for loving the boy from the other community by doing the unlaw ful and uncultural thingh themself.Who has given them the right to play with the modesty of womenhood of the girl?Are they able to set an example of rule and regulation by doing such a nasty thing?Shame on those people who watched the episode.
Login
 Login through Social ID
|
Not finding what you are looking for? Search here.
