Candle light vigil on streets is a manifestation of inner hurt of society over the apparent injustice perpetrated by the system. That also speaks for the fact that the conscience of society is alive to its duty to protect and highlight the cause of the marginalized people. It was better late than never moment for the Indian nation when it woke up to the horror of the rape and murder of an eight-year-old nomad girl. These kind of candle vigils draw attention to several meanings depending on the environment – refreshing the instincts of rebellion against injustice and oppressive system.; an absolute determination to seek justice through the men in power who have an inherent tendency to play safe by remaining in denial mode.
There, however, is a question, why the candle light processions have failed in their purpose to decriminalize and de-corrupt system . These are momentary occasions in which the struggle is given up after a particular case is pursued and highlighted to a particular extent . Thereafter , those marching with candles in hand, tend to re-assimilate with the system that perpetuates injustice.
Let this moment be different and decisive. Let the Indian nation understand that it has to move beyond the rhetoric and understand the real dimension of the problem of rape and murder or the attempt to rape. First of all, Indian society, its media, and leadership will have to answer few questions, why Kathua rape and murder case took so long to get into the nation’s conscience? Has it really understood the real dimensions of this crime or it just made a common cause for justice to the victim to seek self-glory? The Indian society has no answers because it has never looked at things in a positive manner, be it Jammu and Kashmir or any other part of the country . Its momentary campaigns mean nothing unless the whole system is overhauled .
That the human rights groups and other activists in the country came to know of this horrific incident only on April 9 or 10 is just unacceptable . It had either ignored the incident as something that didn’t deserve its attention and apology or it was a deliberate inattention because the victim ‘s religious identity was given more hype than the crime to which she was subjected. Those who did so , may be on their own or at the behest of others, to stir the communal cauldron to cause the communal division to achieve the end for the forces within and outside of it that are frustrated that they have not been able to divide Jammu and Kashmir on the communal lines. The alleged perpetrators thought that they should also react in the same manner. Hindu Ekta Manch was a invented as a religious shield to what they thought was the communal assault on their religious identity . The pieces of this puzzle had started falling in place , but what was missing from the discourse was justice for the victim child in the name of seeking justice for her . Both the sides communalized the whole thing and the communal tensions have started escalating .
There is no clue or sign that the victim would ever get a justice, but the Indian nation should know that the mood in the country is also affecting Jammu and Kashmir where a conflict has assumed its communal dimensions long before the tragedy in Kathua unfolded. The narrative of justice for the daughters needs to be translated into a reality, otherwise the justice for Kathua victim would be halted time and again in shuttling of the files of the case from one court to the other.