Justice Served?: The Question Remains Unanswered!

Manaswita Mahanta

The early morning of December 6 took the internet by storm with the news of the encounter by the Telangana Police of the four accused in the Hyderabad Rape and Murder case of the veterinarian drawing enormous applause from people. They were touted as heroes, named “the real Singham” and showered with thousands of re-shares, likes, comments and support in social media for their quick action. The same police, we must not forget, who quickly refused to file a complaint when the victim’s sister reached the station and quickly suggested to her family members that she may have eloped with her “boyfriend”.

India is a population of 1.3 billion people, hailed as the world’s largest democracy. Is it probable that in a country of such magnitude, with problems of rape being so incredulously rampant, an encounter of four accused rapists can be considered as a reason to celebrate because “justice has been served”? Isn’t it noteworthy that the only reason these people could be so easily killed is because they belonged to marginalized, poor communities. So, the only people bearing the brunt of these quick actions are the lower class citizens. But the rich convicted rapists are given free pass to come sit in the parliament. So how just the system is, is a matter of status of the convict?

The major reason behind the people celebrating this mockery of the Indian Judicial System is because this incident is expected to instill fear among potential perpetrators. It is being perceived as an example of what might happen when bad comes to worse; when the limits of patience, outrage and tolerance of people are tested. One serious reason for rapes occurring in this country is believed to be the lack of fear. There isn’t a lack of laws to protect the women. The parliament has in fact amended four major laws and passed a new anti-rape act in the year 2013 ( after the world-wide trigger of the 2012 Nirbhaya case) which made provisions related to violence against women more rigid and stringent. The undermining problem is, there are enough laws, but too little justice. Reuters reported that the most recent government data states that in 2017, more than 32,500 cases of rape were registered with the police, i.e. about 90 a day. But, by the end of 2017, the Indian courts managed to dispose of only about 18,300 rape related cases that year, thereby leaving more than 127,800 cases pending. The conviction rate is only 25% when it comes to rape in India.

Therefore, at desperate times as such doling out harsh, quick punishments may seem like the need of the hour to prevent more innocent lives and bodies from being violated. But it must be understood that this is nothing but a temporary quenching of people’s lust for vengeance.

So, the question remains, has justice been served at all?

This isn’t justice. Not in my eyes. This just sets a precedent. There is judiciary in India. This isn’t a banana republic. Even for the harshest of crimes, our judiciary must give proper trial and then punish the law offenders. Moreover, we don’t even know for sure if it was these four guys who committed the crime. They weren’t proven to be guilty, were they? What if they were scapegoats and the actual criminals are roaming free? What if there were more along with them who weren’t even caught? We would never know the truth because the encounter denied us of all possibilities.

Justice has not been received because the judicial system shall fail if laws are taken into one’s own hands this way. Justice has been denied because while people are out here celebrating this small “win”, the Unnao rape victim who battled the society, politicians, her life, her dignity to report her rape (which was filed four months after her actual complaint) and was set ablaze on her way to court, has now succumbed to death on 6th December, 2019, while her accused rapist is roaming free and alive. Justice isn’t served because even as you are reading this, one woman somewhere is being raped; another one is being chastised for her clothes, for being “too independent” or for just being born. At this very moment, someone is buying a pepper spray, while another is enrolling her daughter for self-defense classes. Someone somewhere is saying “Kill the bastards” and “Not all men are same” in the same breathe, and some girl went through the ordeal of rape but didn’t/couldn’t report it like the rest of the 99.1 percent rapes that go unreported.

Justice cannot be served by killing— four men . Justice cannot be served by lawless encounters.

A lot of problems can be solved if the cultural upbringing of children in our country is worked upon. The men in India are raised in a society which teaches them nothing regarding a woman, her periods, her body or her being more than a vaginal entity meant to serve, cook and please them as needed. There is no talk in the homes or in classrooms, regarding sex or morality which ends up creating a disturbing outlook in the minds of the young. Where do they learn about physical intimacy? Bollywood with its shrewd lyrics, or pornography with its violent graphics. Some see their mothers being beaten by their fathers; some witness their sisters being treated like a servant around the house. And there is nobody telling them this is wrong. This is where the first seeds of violent thoughts are sown.

Quick fixing must be stopped. Killing rapists is not the answer because you can’t kill them all, convict them all or even identify them all. Children must be given proper moral and sex education while in schools and colleges. Awareness must be spread about these issues. People should speak up more when they see someone victim-blaming or slut-shaming. People should let their male friends, family members or siblings understand that rape jokes aren’t funny, that gender equality isn’t about being a feminazi but about being treated the same and with humanity. Police and government must start implementing the laws impeccably.

Hopefully, this time, after trending hashtags and candle marches, people don’t simply forget. Because like Saloni Chopra says, “This girl could have been your sister, your friend, your daughter. This girl could have been you. This girl could have been me. This shouldn’t be an event that we just forget & move on from, till the next girl is gang raped.”

(Manaswita Mahanta is a journalism student of Gauhati University)images (1)

The Controversial Bill: Centre Vs State

A bill and protests: 
The introduction of Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB), 2016 in Lok Sabha on 8 January 2019 led to massive protests in Assam and across the Northeastern region. The bill seeks to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955 to provide Indian citizenship to people from minority communities – Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians–fleeing from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan to avoid persecution. But the bill was opposed by the large section of people and organizations in the Northeast. Various stakeholders of the society, it has been claimed that the bill will bring identity crisis to the indigenous people of Assam. The cultural demography will be largely affected by the bill which has carried a threat to the various ethnic communities. Therefore a huge cultural crisis is suspected to  happen in the Northeast.
Though the bill was passed in the Lok Sabha this year, it was not introduced in the Rajya Sabha. Since the bill was not tabled in the Rajya Sabha, it would lapse will the dissolution of the 16th Lok Sabha. If we come to power, a new bill will be introduced, BJP had said mention in theeir general election manifesto.
BJP also had said they will allay apprehensions in the minds of the people of the northeast about the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill,  (CAB) before introducing it in Parliament if the party comes to power and the recent talks with various stakeholders with Union home ministry Amit Shah is the promise that had made before general elections 2019.
Reintroduction of Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019
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Like earlier, protests have erupted once again across the Northeast to demonstrate opposition to the Narendra Modi government’s reported preparation to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955, on religious lines in the ongoing winter session.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 is listed among the 27 bills in the Parliament and may pass before December 10.
The BJP-led state government has been in the line of fire for supporting the bill which seeks to grant Indian citizenship to Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis who fled Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan because of religious persecution and entered India till December 31, 2014.
It may be mentioned that government is saying there will be some changes in the new bill.
The states where Inner Line Permit (ILP) regime is applicable, are likely to be kept out of the purview of the proposed bill, officials had said.
Why Northeast is protesting?
There will be a crisis on democratic value of the nation if the bill is passed. It gives citizenship on the basis of religion which is unconstitutional. This bill also violates the Keshabanada Bharti Judegment of 1973, according to which the Basic structure of the Constitution of the Indian Constitution is Protected (i.e.- Basic Structure doctrine.) (Note: consult it with your professor regarding its inclusion in the paper.)
The bill also violates the Assam Accord and the people of Assam do not (avoid the use of short words in a formal work) want to negotiate with that. The bill stretches the cutoff date for providing citizenship to December 31, 2014, from March 24, 1971 as mentioned in the Assam Accord 1985. It will also hamper the ongoing NRC process which is underway to detect illegal immigrants.
 
The “selective’ Bill:
It is said that the religious minorities of the neighboring countries are mistreated and that’s why they are given Indian citizenship. But at the same time there is no provision for Rohingya Muslims (of Myanmar) and Ahmadis (of Pakistan) who are also persecuted. If the govt really wants to help persecuted minorities of neighbouring countries, then why have 62,000 Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka, who are refugee camps in Tamilnadu. been left out of the bill.They are mostly Hindus and Christians.They also should be considered in the bill if it is based on “humanitarian Values” as claimed by the ruling Party. Humanitarian approach should be  equal for everyone.
Northeast and the bill:
It is observed that CAB is a critical concern for the people of Assam and Northeast.
The people of Assam are arguing that CAB will be a threat to the  cultural harmony and rights and security of the indigenous  people.The bill will hamper the economy of Assam resulting in  rise of  unemployment in the state .  It has been observed that the bill became a Hindu-Muslim topic as Muslims were excluded in the bill and allegedly became  communal.The identity and ethnicity of Assam will be destroyed if the bill becomes an act.It has been found that the terminologies ‘secular’ and ‘unconstitutional’ were almost equally used to designate the bill as the bill opposed the inclusion of Muslims which makes the bill divisive.
Attack on soul of Constitution:
It has revealed the disappointment of people at large on the CAB. People from every walk of life exposed the flaws of the CAB claiming it a double standard of the ruling party as the party is bringing the immigrants excluding Muslims while at the same time they said infiltrators will be identified and disqualified. This is biased in the sense that it violates the constitution of India. The bill is divisive as it provides citizenship on the basis of religion which violates the Freedom of Religion as a fundamental right given by the Constitution of India by Article 25-28 and also the Right to Equality under Article 14.
The common perception that the Centre doesn’t take into account the aspirations and the needs of the people of the North Eastern states will further escalate. India is a union of states but in this case the centre is clearly  narrating and implenting a bill which can further deteriorate the volatile Centre-State relationship.

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‘EVE TEASING’ AT CAMPUS: JUSTIFIED?

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The very fact that a University stands for exchanging ideas, imparting education, nurturing individuals to help with the progress of the Nation cannot be argued. What can be argued is the seeming number of issues which are mostly masked under the guise of tradition making it a part of a University which was never supposed to be adopted.

One such issue is the ‘Maina Culture’ which finds its place in a University which claims as one of the best Institutes in the Country.

Every International Women’s day the University stands up reiterating the need to empower women and remove the social bindings placed on them. . The ‘Maina Culture’ is downright patriarchal and biased being run and watered under the guise of tradition. Eve teasing and restricting the movement of women within the campus is not a tradition. Calling out names and commenting publicly is intruding someone’s privacy irrespective of gender. Some people (Boys and Girls) may enjoy that but everyone isn’t the same. It’s shocking that people are yet to differentiate between ‘chivalry’ and ‘notoriety’.

We want this to happen, we want it badly because it makes us feel powerful. Drooling over women, identifying them as nothing but attractive prizes to be won by screaming and shouting lewd remarks is pathetic. This shameful culture is being carefully passed on to the next generation to be implemented without giving it a second thought. Justifying eve teasing to say that women want to be teased and made fun of is perpetual darkness. Men and women who see it as a part of the University seriously need to reconsider their stand. An ounce of grey matter is enough to understand that women are the silent sufferers who have to undergo such a treatment by their male counterparts.

Walking down the road, a women has to endure the howling and screaming of men, accept the remarks meted to them, respond in a like-able manner but calling them out for the wrongdoing is not on the cards. Any initiative on her part is seen as breaking the rules and failing to adapt to the sacred culture! The culture of mocking moving women to let them know their movement is men’s entertainment.

Girl students find it hard to travel alone. At night, outsiders roam around freely within the campus ‘taking’ advantage , ‘teasing’ women which ‘compromises’ their security. Eve teasers find it normal as they have no fear. They take advantage of the situation and plot their next evil scheme.

To put it straight : ‘eve teasing’ cannot be justified by calling it ‘Maina Culture’. If culture allows men to boo women and catcall them and vice versa then it’s really a sad state of affairs.

A walkthrough of the Digboi Centenary Museum

Digboi, the place to witness the first brush with Oil in pre- independent India is nestled in the hills of the North East

The Digboi Centenary Museum located near the Digboi Oil Field houses the equipments and machines which were used after Oil was discovered in the vicinity and an Oil refinery was set up.

As you walk up to the entrance, you will see an air raid shelter which was constructed during the World War. Such things reminds us of the Colonial past of Digboi.

 

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As you walk past the entrance, you will be greeted with machines being operated by mannequins. You will have a fair glimpse of the working environment which was prevalent during early times.

One of the important sights to behold is the Well No. 1 which was the first commercially viable well in India. It is also known as Discovery well and was first successfully drilled in 1889 and in 1901 the first modern refinery was built in Digboi.

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Discovery Well No1

The museum park is scattered with vintage equipments which helped start the oil Industry. The filter press which was used during the early days in the Wax Extraction Unit is displayed along with Clarke’s compressor which reads ‘people from different parts of India and abroad have worked with me’ emphasizing its importance.

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The main attraction is the replica of a BOC petrol station along with a European couple curious about  the mysterious land. A  Ford Perfect car which produces a tiny 30bhp is tiny by today’s standards but was a pioneer for the automobile industry’s leader Ford during those times.

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A boat used to ward off malaria and a couple of vespa scooters used by the local people of Digboi along with other machineries are also on display.

The museum also houses an indoor display. Upon entering you will be greeted with a mural depicting the formation of crude oil. A large exhibition of how Mr Goodenough started the first systematic drilling at Nahorpung, thirty miles south east of Digboi is displayed right around the corner. As you follow the trail, you will see the line up of machines used in the Digboi Refinery over the years. Generators, pumps, drill bits, lawn mowers etc are exhibited with photos depicting their operators.

Oil was discovered during the Colonial rule in India and Digboi had its fair share of British Imperialism. European officers were often called ‘sahebs’ and an interesting story of how Indian assistants came to be known as Kala sahebs is put up on the wall. An exhibit showing the cooperation between the Indian assistants and their European sahebs is on display as well. A Union Jack besides the European Officer shows the impact the British had in nurturing the oil industry in Digboi. A Wall clock ticking along  brings you back from the time as you get lost in the past days when the oil industry in Digboi was starting to flourish.

As we move forward, the machines used to relax and play music are on display. Gramophones, record changers, turn tables used to inform the people through the Welfare Office under the then Industrial Relations Department.

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Taking the flight of stairs you reach the uppermost section of the museum. Magneto telephones were quite common during those days and they had a long life span. Communication was an important factor to make sure that the work is on time everytime. Office equipments like tea mugs, paper cutters, fans that could run even in the stickiest and humid of weather are still being operated in many offices in Digboi.

A model of the Hydro Treater Unit(HDTU) along with other models along the aisle show the complexities in refining and distributing petroleum products.

Cans and gallons used to carry petroleum products along with the manufacturers insignia are on display. The finished products had to undergo distillation and a the apparatuses used during this process come up next. It was used to assess the volatility of petroleum and its products.

Petroleum is highly inflammable and to counter any fire breakout, the fire service division of the Assam Oil Company was set up in 1930-31. The basic equipments used to dispense fire like fire pumps and delivery hoses are on display. Safety equipments like helmets, uniforms show the preparedness the fire brigade had during those times. The fire service was renamed AOC fire brigade and earned quite a few laurels.

Oil lamps, room heaters, wall telephones bring us to the end of the upper section of the museum.

Coming downstairs, there is a small room which houses the photographs of Digboi refinery in its early stages, the people who played a crucial role in its set up and the dignitaries who paid a visit.

A revolving exhibit of the various petroleum products produced in the Digboi refinery are also on display.

Museums are  never supposed to end, they carry vintage and antique pieces of machinery which take us back in time and the Centenary Museum of Digboi is no different.

 

Mig21 : What Next ?

 

Fighter aircrafts are the most advanced pieces of weaponry a country possesses to deter any aggression by a hostile enemy . One such fighter serving the Indian Air Force is the Mig 21. Inducted in the year 1964 it became the first supersonic fighter of the Air Force. It has served its purpose as an interceptor and allowed India to maintain air dominance during  the 1971 Indo Pakistan war and was extensively used during the Kargil war along with Mig29s and Mirage 2000s.

The soviet era fighter became the favourite of many Air Forces around the world especially the allies of the erstwhile Soviet Union. The Vietnamese Airforce extensively used the Mig 21s to counter the much advanced f4 Phantoms of the US Air force in the Vietnam war. Egypt also used its Migs to counter the Israeli Mirages during the middle east conflicts of the 1960s and 1970s .

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An IAF Mig 21 Bison

India’s affair with the Mig 21 began after the Soviet Union allowed full transfer of technology to produce Mig21s in India . It was a proven aircraft but like any other aircraft it had to be upgraded or retired after it was well beyond its service life .Following a series of crashes due to engine failure, pilot error and other reasons the Mig 21 was infamously called ‘flying coffins’. Over half of the 840 aircraft built between 1966 and 1984 were lost to crashes. Over 170 pilots and 40 civilians lost their lives.

The Mig is not an easy machine to fly and only experienced pilots were allowed to operate it. Since it was the mainstay of the IAF before the Sukhoi 30 MKIs were inducted , the IAF had to upgrade it to fulfil its operational requirements. The proposal for 125 MiG Bis aircraft with an option to upgrade 50 more aircraft at a total cost of US$ 626 million was cleared in January 1996. The Migs were supposed to be phased out in the later part of the 19th century but due to the delay in the LCA(Light Combat Aircraft) programme , the Migs had to be upgraded. The LCA Tejas is finally being inducted in the IAF after a delay of over three decades.

Indian Air Force is the 4th largest Air Force in the World. It has been able to protect our skies and extend its services during peacetime. It was appreciated for its help during the Kerala floods in 2018. But with dwindling squadrons and hostile neighbours trying to intrude Indian airspace with better fighters , the IAF is having a hard time to counter the aggression.

One such recent incident was the violation of Indian air space by Pakistani fighters across the LOC after India conducted airstrikes in Balakot along with other terrorist hideouts in POK. The PAF fighters tried to conduct bombing missions across the border. Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was on a Combat Air Patrol on a MIg 21 assisted by 4 Sukhois and 2 Mirages. The Pakistani jets missed their targets and engaged in an aerial combat with the IAF fighters . The IAF jets chased them and while in pursuit the MIG21 fired a R73 BVR missile which brought down an F16 of the PAF. But the Mig was shot down by the remaining Pakistani jets and unfortunately the pilot had to eject across the LOC. Wing commander Abhinandan was captured by the Pakistani Military and was later handed over to India as a peace gesture.

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A PAF(Pakistan Air Force) F16

The decision to field the aged mig 21s along the LOC was justified by the Air force explaining the fighters were circulated round the clock. The Mig 21 bison was an upgraded version and still had the punch to counter a more capable F16 fighter of the PAF. It was solely the man behind the machine who displayed utmost bravery to intercept a much more modern fighter. But questions were being put up on the effectiveness of the Mig 21 and was it reason that India lost a pilot, being captured and now in Pakistani territory. Analysts argued that the very feat that a Mig21 was able to shoot down an F16 will go down in history. Some argued that the Migs are well beyond their service life and need to be retired.

The recently inked Rafale deal will see new fighters joining the IAF in September this year. The MMRCA(Medium Multi role Combat Aircraft) 2.0 which will induct 126 more fighters and will be manufactured in India under the Make in India programme with full TOT(transfer of technology) will accept proposals till July 2109. After which the procurement process and building the fighters will start.

The Mig 21s have served their purpose but India needs  fighter aircrafts which are cutting edge to counter a modern hostile country like Pakistan and China. The Tejas along with the selected fighter in the MMRCA 2.0 will be able to keep our pilots and skies both safe.

Tanbeer Ahmed Choudhury

Meghalee: Much more than a tea-stall !

 

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A glimpse of the Old Meghalee with the owner Rabin Das

The shift of a place of emotional importance for each and every person who has shared so much with each other is as if the unsung emotions have been pushed to a dark corner. One may not have a say on the very turn of events but for a lot of people, that one might not know of, are certainly going to miss the place they once had many memories attached . Then there will be some who might even plan to meet at the old place and go there just to find nothing but debris of a lost nostalgia.

  Meghalee, the popular tea stall cum restaurant in Gauhati University has something special that has always kept people wanting for more. What is University life without spending hours in the canteen downing cups of chai and continuous chatting?!

 

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Relocated and new but can it bring back its old charm ?

Meghalee, which provides refreshment to the students and the faculty members of Gauhati University from 1970’s   recently has been shifted to the newly constructed GU market complex, a few meters away from its earlier place .The tea stall has always been an integral part of the university and a place for exchanging ideas, talking, fighting, romancing and dreaming. It is worth mentioning that it played a vital role for constructive debate and discussion during the Assam movement in the 80’s.

Meghalee was established by Sailen Das, now a lawyer at Gauhati High Court on August 25 in 1975. Later Sailen handed over the tea stall to his younger brother Rabin Das who has been managing the stall after he passed out of Gauhati University. Rabin Das was also the major Games Secretary of Post Graduate Student Union during 1986-87.

Meghalee is still as popular among the students of the university as it previously was. It has always offered delicacies  and a place for constructive discussion for any topic especially of cultural, political, social and financial importance.

Meghalee lies in the heart of every student of the university. It holds fond memories of long hours of conversation, spent joking and chatting, unconsciously making friends for life. It will continue to make new stories with the cooperation and participation of the students.

Meghalee is not just a name, it is an emotion. Everyone who belongs to this university knows very well the significance of Meghalee. After its shifting to the closed boundary it may be good , bad or may be better but it can never feel the same.

 

Rokibuz Zaman