Quite recently a Jammu based lawyer passed certain unsavoury comments against Shewtambari Sharma, a forthright Dy.SP of the State Crime Branch. She was a part of the team that investigated the Kathua rape and murder case of a minor. The lawyer questioned the basic intelligence and capability of Shwetambari to investigate the said case for being a woman. This speaks volumes about the gender-biased mindset of the lawyer. He seems to have graduated in the subjects of law but not educated enough to practice it. Instead of respecting the law, he chose to dishonour the same. For his kind information, passing of the sexist comments against a woman amounts to a crime as per the laws of the land. I am reminded of an instance when my daughter once took a strong exception to prefixing the word lady/woman with the rank and designation of the police officer, such as lady SP, which is a common practice in police department. According to her, the police officers cannot be distinguished on the basis of sex as prefixing is discriminatory to women. Since then I desist from using such phrase. Such being the case, the sexist comments passed by the lawyer against the Dy.SP is unpardonable. One can’t understand as to how the lawyer practices in the courts of law with this gender-biased mindset. Did the lawyer arrive at this conclusion on the premise that since Shwetambari did not help the culprits escape the teeth of law in the manner the discredited cops (who destroyed the vital evidence and fabricated a false story) did, so she lacked or possessed the lower level of intelligence? Or the lawyer believed that the Dy.SP would have been guided by religious consideration while investigating the case to prove that she is at higher level of intelligence. But unfortunate for the lawyer, she did not oblige him to meet his standard of measurement of intelligence. She belied the expectation of the lawyer by her brilliant academic career, proven secular credentials and display of professional acumen of highest order. Her curt reply that her uniform is her religion is an explicit censure to him. She proved her intelligence by ignoring the rhetoric of the lawyer, as it is an old adage to never provoke a mad dog lest it bites you.
Shwetambari Sharma has done her post graduation in Management Sciences about a decade back. She had been teaching the subject in various institutions including the premier Shri Mata Vaishnav Devi University at Jammu for over seven years. In the meanwhile she was also pursuing Ph.D before joining the elite J&K Police Service. While doing her Ph.D and teaching job she appeared in the Combined Competitive Service Examination held by J&K Public Service Commission. It is a coveted service examination and all including the men like the ‘learned’ lawyer aspires to qualify it but only few deserving make it. As the name goes, the examination is a competitive one and only intelligent and hard working aspirants pass it. So did Shwetambari.
In the similar fashion some fringe elements and a section of lawyers launched a scathing attack on Deepika Thusoo, a Jammu based lawyer for defending the rape victim. She was threatened of the dire consequences if she continued to represent the victim. An attempt was made by one national level news channel to tarnish her image by leveling certain serious but unfounded allegations which were vehemently rejected by her. Fearing for her life she filed a plea before the Supreme Court which, while disposing her petition, directed the state government to provide her as also the victim’s family proper security cover.
What is the opinion of the ‘learned’ lawyer about the great women personalities who ruled the heart and mind of the people of the world by their mind and might? Ladies like Indira Gandhi, Margret Thatcher, Golda Meir, Benazir Bhutto,Theresa May, Angela Markel and many others created their names in the field of politics. Women like PT Usha, Marry Kom, Saina Nehwal,Sania Mirza and others earned their fame in the field of sports or my home town little girl Ankita Raina who is the newest international tennis icon. The genius like Marie Curie, Kalpana Chawla and the likes created their niche in the field of science. The angles like Florence Nightingale, Mother Taressa, Rosa Parks, Wangari Maathai, Mallala Yosufzai dominated the world in the field of social service. All these women outwitted their competitors by their merit and intelligence which stand acknowledged by the world community as a whole.
How many of the upright women professionals shall be provided security cover simply for upholding the Constitution of India and defending the Indian laws? Brainstorming is therefore, required by the Indian intelligentsia to also find ways to counter the rising intolerance which generate the fear among the womenfolk of the country while debating and commenting on the crime against women especially the rape and murder of innocent girls now almost on daily basis, failing which the Indian women will continue to be in the line of fire…….