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Justice prevailed! 6 out of 7 accused in the Kathua Rape case have been convicted by the Supreme Court today.
The eight-year-old victim of brutality and communal hate has finally received justice. The Kathua rape case, a case that shook the entire nation with its inhumanity rooted in communal hatred has finally arrived at due justice. The final verdict on the case was delivered by a special court in Pathankot today.
The mastermind and former government officer Sanji Ram and five other accused with him have been convicted. However, Sanji Ram’s son has been acquitted because of lack of evidence.
In January, an 8-year-old girl belonging to the nomadic Bakarwal Muslim tribe in the Kathua District of Jammu and Kashmir was tortured, drugged, brutally gang raped repeatedly and then barbarically killed. Investigations revealed that the seven accused committed this crime as a part of a planned strategy to create fear. They wanted to scare away the Bakarwal Muslim community who were allegedly acquiring a lot of land in the Hindu dominated Jammu.
All of this violence was perpetrated by people who thought of themselves as ‘the guardians of the Hindu religion’.
The innocence of an 8-year-old was mercilessly snatched away from her to comfort the religious beliefs of a few. Not only this, amidst the nationwide outrage, a significant mass of people came in to support the accused.
The Hindu right wing in Jammu organized a protest in support of the accused and alleged that the government was not conducting a proper probe. Many leaders openly came out in support of the accused. A lot of communal tension was created in the country, because obviously, politics and religion are more important than humanity right?
This heinous crime still makes us wonder how far people can go to support their ideology.
Despite the fact that the rapists were supported openly by some, the Kathua Rape case was also one that shook the entire nation and even united many against the common enemy – communal hatred.
Now after a year, this verdict given today is the hope that the criminals will get the punishment they deserve, and that justice will still prevail, despite the attempts to evade it in this case.
Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons
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Neelu might have outwardly forgiven Ramesh, but in her mind, which once was filled with unconditional love for Ramesh, there was now a seed of resentment.
Ramesh’s footsteps paused at the entrance of the hotel’s ballroom. Inside, his school’s reunion party was going in full swing. The air was heavy, as expensive perfumes and the aroma of food from the buffet table, mingled. There were low murmurs, tinkling laughs and clinks of cutlery.
Ramesh had not wanted to come, knowing that she would be there. She, Neelu, who once had been the love of his life. Taking a deep breath, Ramesh entered the room. His eyes found Neelu almost immediately. She still looked the same. Maybe there was now grey in her hair and a few wrinkles on her face. But her vivacity, her mannerisms were still the same. Things, that had first attracted him.
Arathi Rajagopalan, founder of 'House of Kalart', talks about thinking like a designer & transitioning to thinking like a business owner.
Excerpts from an interview with Arathi Rajagopalan, founder of ‘House of Kalart’ – a fusion jewellery label that merges global aesthetics and traditional craftsmanship.
When did you start ‘House of Kalart’ and what was the intention?
I started House of Kalart in 2017 as a venture where painting, drawing and embroidery are married with metalsmithing to create well-handcrafted fashion jewellery. Along with painting and styling, the venture aims to create a holistic fashion experience for a bold and dramatic woman!” As a child, I had always been fascinated by arts and crafts.
It took more than two years in filing sexual harassment charges against the environmentalist RK Pachauri. With this delay, when are women in Indian workplaces ever going to be safe?
‘Justice delayed is justice denied’ is a popular proverb which touches a chord with anyone who had been wronged and not gotten the support they needed from our law at the right time. This definitely seems to be true for the infamous sexual harassment case against the well-known scientist, RK Pachauri.
A female colleague had complained against him in 2015 of sexual assault. But, it has taken more than two years for the case to see the light of the day in the court.
Many rape cases in India involve men in positions of power, like a recent case that has emerged in Chattisgarh. Until we have strict implementation of existing laws, this will continue.
A recent piece of news reported a case registered against a local BJP leader in Raipur for allegedly raping a woman when she was teenager. As per the case details, the accused had married her and later abandoned her, in spite of already being married to someone else – besides the fact that marrying a woman under 18 is blatantly illegal and an abuse of power.
The incident occurred in the tribal dominated area of Chhattisgarh. This is not the first or the last time an innocent has been brutalized by a man in a powerful position. In fact it reminds me again of the horrifying Kathua rape case, where the main accused were former government officers and policemen.