Delhi’s Shame Continues

Delhi’s reputation as an unsafe city for women remains intact even 14 years after the infamous Nirbhaya incident, despite a series of safety schemes introduced by the authorities to ensure foolproof security for women. However, a similar incident has once again proved that many of the announcements made in the name of enhancing women’s safety were merely an eyewash, as little has changed on the ground.

This time too, the offenders used a moving private bus to commit the crime. The only difference was that, unlike in the Nirbhaya case, the victim was not thrown out of the bus to die. Instead, she was released after agreeing not to report the incident to the police, as demanded by the offenders. Under the circumstances, it was indeed a brave and clever decision, as this was perhaps the only way to bring to light the ordeal the woman endured for two hours on that ill-fated night and to ensure that the offenders were eventually arrested.

The first question that comes to mind is why and how Delhi has earned the reputation of being the “rape capital of India” despite having one of the most advanced police forces in the country, equipped with sophisticated gadgets to keep the city safe from crime. The answer lies in the gross negligence of law enforcement agencies and the personnel tasked with monitoring the movement of people with suspicious backgrounds.

More often than not, it has been found that the capital’s police remain indifferent to the concerns of ordinary citizens. On several occasions, complaints have been lodged against erring policemen, but these appear to have fallen on deaf ears, with little meaningful action taken to address the grievances. In other words, the Delhi Police seem more interested in providing VIP security than addressing the concerns of ordinary citizens.

At the same time, coordination between the police and the transport authorities remains poor. The Delhi Police still do not have accurate data on the number of private buses operating on the capital’s roads every day. The recent incident could perhaps have been prevented had the routes of these buses been properly monitored, as such vehicles have increasingly become easy targets for criminals.

The political leadership of Delhi must also share the blame. Instead of working together to ensure women’s safety, political parties often appear more interested in politicising such incidents to score points against their opponents. For instance, while in power, Arvind Kejriwal frequently argued that maintaining law and order in the national capital was solely the responsibility of the Central government. Yet the same Kejriwal was quick to claim credit for good governance by asserting that no such incidents had taken place during his party’s tenure.