FIVE ELEMENTS OF TERROR THAT KILLED DAMINI

Before Jyoti Singh (variously referred to in the media as Damini or Nirbhaya) and the little trust that might have remained in the government are consigned to the dying embers of 2012, I thought I would add a small bit to all that has been said already.

Many eloquent pieces have been written on this aspect that I agree with in totality; here are links to two that struck deep chords:

http://www.mid-day.com/news/2012/dec/301212-That-Heaven-of-Freedom-My-Mother.htm

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-newdelhi/why-is-rape-our-collective-culture/article4251356.ece

Instead, let me concentrate on the 1000+-page charge sheet that has been filed today by the Delhi Police. Specifically, on what it does NOT contain – a list of the nameless, faceless people whose crimes of omission and commission aided and abetted the rape and murder that has fired a nation’s anger. And who continue to go unnoticed and unpunished because they are shielded by a political establishment who filibuster landmark legislation opportunities like the Lokpal Bill that could have stripped them of their masks.
• The traffickers of unsafe public transport
• The gatekeepers of unregistered F.I.Rs
• The deliberate diffusers of governance and accountability
• The VERY IMPOTENT POLITICIANS who allocate disproportionate resources to themselves – security protection being just one such example
• The bribe takers – and the bribe givers – who siphon off public funds from rural and urban development and send disenchanted men down the dark alleys of our cities

The list goes on and on; I do not claim that this is by any means exhaustive. But we have to start somewhere.

Let us recognize that each of these five categories of people – all of which include public servants responsible for those elements of governance – play these games for personal benefit and do not think of the outcomes as parts of a whole that can converge to a matter of life and death.

Except that on the 16th of December 2012, they converged. And Jyoti Singh died.

For the next five days, I invite thoughts and suggestions on these five aspects, and will deal with them in subsequent posts.

Be Angry. Be Very Angry.

The terrorists are back. Innocent people are killed. Heroes are martyred. Politicians mumble platitudes. It feels like this is never going to stop.Not unless we take matters into our collective hands. And that means all Indians, as one. No divisions, no implicit partitions. Nothing that allows loopholes for terrorists to slip through.First, demand accountability. File your RTI applications, petition your elected representatives. Make a nuisance of yourself until you get an answer, even if it be "I don't know" or "Nahin batayenge." Second, use the power of the web. Communiate - thoughts, doubts, questions, ideas. Let's build a consensus on what works.Third, fight corruption. Especially black money and processes that link to black money. That's what funds terrorists - and their accomplices who make our borders and coasts porous, our cities vulnerable, our loved ones defenceless, our brave soldiers martyrs.Fourth, fight discrimination. Stand up and make yourself heard unless you support the new Hitlers who seek to create disunited, disjointed Us and Them sub-Indias, Hindus and Muslims, Domiciled and Inter-state Migrants, Gujjars and Meenas, Haves and Have-nots. The latter become prime targets for terrorist recruitment, and mutual distrust between groups creates grey zones in space and time that militants freely exploit.Finally, vote. Make a choice, even if a sub-optimal one. To fight terrorism, we must first fight corruption, communalism and casteism. Else there will always be loopholes for terrorists to slither through.Empowerment is never given, it is always taken. Someone took our Bombay; we must now take back our India.