Justice for Asifa?

It felt like a complete déjà vu, the loud protests, candlelight vigils, trending tweets slamming the culprits for their horrendous act and of course, the 24/7 headlines flashing on television screens and narrating the same story constantly until one gets tired and just switches of the television in frustration. Why? Maybe because 5 years after the Nirbhaya rape case, people hoped that they wouldn’t have to face such a day, it’s disheartening to state that they were wrong, utterly and horribly wrong.

Who was she? An innocent 8-year-old belonging to the nomadic Bakarwal community in Kashmir. What was her crime? She was a Muslim by religion and thereby probably a potential threat to our Incredible India. But are you aware of an even bigger crime she committed? She was a girl, a female, the weaker sex and thereby the most vulnerable prey to the religious and political watchdogs of our society. Why do people waste their time in attempts to provide the cliched excuses of her ‘provoking clothes’ or ‘she was asking for it’? It was about time somebody came up with a new reason to justify the torture Asifa went through, even if it is something as ridiculous as her religion… Why Asifa? Why were you born a girl child? Why were you roaming carelessly with your horses? Couldn’t you have taken an elder, preferably a boy for the sake of protection? Who else is to be blamed for this horrendous incident but you? 

Isn’t it ironical? The land which boasts of spirituality and the worship of females as goddesses is also a safe haven for rapists, perverts and eve-teasers who regularly play with the lives of all our ‘goddesses’. What’s even more ironical is that a holy landmark like a temple was where Asifa was kept a hostage and mercilessly raped. Where was our police force during that period? Let’s see, some of them weren’t bothered enough to find Asifa when they received the complaint while a few others were present in the temple and satisfying their lust on the sedated, almost unconscious eight-year-old. To add the cherry on top of the cake, these monsters had the audacity to plead “not guilty” in court, along with the support of hundreds of fanatics who justified their actions. If we are so narrow-minded that we cannot tolerate the peaceful coexistence between communities then what right do we have to proclaim our country as one of the most tolerant in the world?

The #JusticeforAsifa hashtag is trending on all social media platforms, everybody from housewives to Bollywood biggies is pouring their wrath online and demanding for justice. It’s finally been implemented in the law that the rape of any minor will result in a death sentence for the rapist/s. Dear Parliament, did it actually take you countless years and such gruesome rapes before you executed this much-required law? However, despite the laws and chaos, all the efforts seem to be in vain. After all, Asifa’s rape case received attention because her story was made public, and for all we know there may be thousands of Asifas across the length and breadth of India who had similar stories that were never made public… Are we fighting a futile war? It won’t be surprising to read yet another gruesome case in the newspapers another 5 years down the line, it will just be heart-wrenching and disappointing. So before picking up the banners and shouting “Justice for Asifa”, let’s pause for a moment and retrospect; has justice been awarded to Asifa yet? WIll this justice be awarded to other such victims as well? And most importantly, how many more times will we be forced to hold protests for the justice of yet another Asifa?