We are proud of being human but we exhibit qualities of neither head nor heart. It is both shocking and depressing that ‘human’ beings have lost control of their senses and are cruel even to the point of insanity.
In the last month it broke my heart to see on television heart wrenching scenes of the splendid, valiant and lovable police horse, Shaktiman. He was a well-trained horse and part of Uttarakhand Mounted Police for years. He was often taken to Delhi to participate in ceremonial parades. A BJP MLA, Ganesh Joshi, had brutally beaten up the horse during clashes between BJP protesters and the police. He suffered multiple fractures on his hind leg. He was operated upon and was fitted with an artificial leg. He suffered terribly and later died. Many doctors tried hard to save him but they failed.
A few days ago, again on television, I saw some horrific scenes of small children below the age of five being branded with hot spoons for refusing food. These are homeless and orphaned children in a care home in Telengana, receiving such treatment from their so-called ‘caretakers’. These inhuman women are a shame to all women who are naturally gifted with motherly qualities and boundless love. Besides they are being paid for their job.
I found a similarity in the way Shaktiman and the little children were treated. Both were mute and helpless. Both were tortured for no fault of their own other than that they could not fight back. The actions of their tormentors were caught on CCTV. Yet the MLA had the audacity to deny that he had brutally beaten up Shaktiman. He was arrested only because of public outrage. He will most probably go scot free. These women ‘caretakers’ have been suspended from their jobs but as we all know it is very rare that someone gets the appropriate punishment for the crime he has committed. That too comes ‘too little too late’. There is hardly any cause and effect relationship between the crime and its punishment. Justice must not only be done, it must also be seen to be done.
The CCTV gives first-hand proof of the perpetrators of the crime. Then why do they not get the punishment they deserve immediately? Why are they given a chance to evade the law? It should be mandatory that the criminal be subjected to similar torture as the victim. Then only will the criminal know what the victim has gone through. It would also serve as a deterrent to others contemplating such crimes. In addition, other suitable punishment should be given. The way the legal system in our country operates today, there will never be a fear of the law in the minds of people.
The recent rape and murder of Nirbhaya, the Sheena Bora murder case and scores of senseless rapes, murders and unending cruelty to animals are a telling reflection on the mindsets of people in our society. The political class thinks that they being lawmakers can break laws more easily than others. Men think that women can be used and abused at will. ‘Human’ beings think that animals suffer no pain and can be treated like objects. This must stop and the sooner the better!
