By the Editor: Siddharth Sehgal

The video footage of a sexual assault in IT capital of India has raised some serious questions on what we can consider safe for women of our country. Going home, office, market anything can be a reason to worry. Just a wrong turn in an isolated alley and your wife, daughter or sister can be in a nightmare from hell. This is just one instance where the perpetrators got caught in the act in a security cam otherwise it would be just another unreported incident that wouldn’t even show up in any statistic. This is not just Bangalore, this is all over India.

Usually those do get caught in groping, rape or other sexual assault cases don’t get out of bed one fine day to assault someone, they are in most cases known troublemakers in their neighborhood who gradually denigrate to these bestial  levels once they see that passersby look the other way. They get bold with each act until they muster the courage to act with impunity. The eve teaser you might see across the street from a girls’ college or at the corner of a shopping center may or may not become a rapist if authorities take timely action. There is no sex offender registry that might register such cases, people, name, place, incidents etc. to identify and question if a crime occur somewhere else. Those who assault women once may do it again. Local intel and anonymous tips from schools, colleges, office will also help. Now naturally office going, working class people will be less likely to do such things, not that it cannot happen but in most cases it’s mainly roadside ruffians, goons and criminals, the usual suspects who are involved. Police has to encourage women to speak up, most of the cases are not reported because of the public shame and fear of losing good name.

Strong law and order not only act as a deterrent but it also encourages citizen to cooperate and help the police. I am not saying that Bangalore has incapable cops or they should put a constable at every street corner but they have to reach out to ordinary citizens to identify nuisance before it becomes a problem. Karnataka unfortunately does not have such leadership which would lend ear to the agonies of its people. Chief Minister would not take the cue from this incident to restore the confidence of citizenry. And there are those like some politicians of ours, who blame everything on women.

We all have been given a bad name; fingers will be pointed towards all Indians for the actions of malicious few. I’d end here with a quote from our Holy Scriptures, “Gods reside where women are respected” and might we not forget the destruction of Kuru’s that followed Draupadi’s insult.