Back in December of 2012, a 23-year-old woman boarded a bus in New Delhi with a male friend on their way home from a movie. The bus was carrying these two and a group of men, identified as mostly working-class migrants who had apparently been drinking. This group of men attacked the two, knocking out the friend and leaving him unconscious, while they took the women to the back of the bus and raped her. The two were then dropped off at the side of the road and left there. Two weeks following the attack, the woman died from her severe injuries.
This event is one among several rape cases in India, which is why the sentence for the four suspects is such a national (and international) issue. One man Vikas Tyagi stated that execution of the men is the only way to stop rapes from happening because it will instill fear. The defense for the four initial suspects was badly formed, with lawyers transferring blame to others to avoid their clients (the defendants) taking the blame. One lawyer argued that the woman died because her doctor killed her in a political murder. This same man argued that she could not have given a fair statement because she had taken morphine prior to making her testimony. Despite the defense's useless attempts to find the narrowest of excuses, DNA evidence placed all six suspects at the crime scene (four initial suspects plus two others).
In Case That Transfixed a Nation, Court in India Convicts Four Men of Rape
In Case That Transfixed a Nation, Court in India Convicts Four Men of Rape
Update from separate article: On September 13, the four men were sentence to death by hanging, leading to much rejoice for the citizens of India. People are said to have found a new hope in the government's awareness of sexual crimes.
Discussion Questions:
1. The woman's parents, along with the general public, strongly encourage the death penalty for these men because of how horrible their actions were. Although we are taught not to follow the idea of “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth...,” is there evidence in this event that perhaps that is sometimes the best decision? Or should the lives of these men be spared?
2. How does this event represent and affect the progression or regression of gender roles in India?
3. The man who was driving the bus at some points during the incident hanged himself while he was in jail. Had he survived do you believe he should've been given the death penalty for allowing the rape to continue, even though he did not directly contribute to it?
1. Every life is valued, no matter what evil an individual may have committed; however, there are occasional instances in which an individual may present harm to other members of society, and, therefore, cause additional future problems, in which case, many argue that the death sentence is applicable. In this New Delhi rape case, a young man, who was a minor at the time of the rape, also participated in the gang rape, but he will just be held in custody, not executed, which many argue is not a severe enough punishment for his actions. However, I believe that the Indian court system is not sentencing the men to the death penalty necessarily for their actions, but to prove a point to the rest of India and all the attackers that pollute the cities. Therefore, I appreciate the value the court system is finally putting on the lives of women, but I do not believe that taking the lives of individuals for the “wrong reasons” is laudable.
ReplyDelete2. I think this event, and the accompanying media attention, represents the progression of women in Indian society. The fact that this infamous problem is finally being addressed is noteworthy and is certainly a step forward in the women’s rights movement in India.
3. Being a bystander is almost as bad as being an active participant; therefore, knowingly allowing the rape to continue makes the bus driver an accomplice in this crime. For this reason, I believe that the Indian court would also sentence this man to the death penalty to further illustrate how far India is willing to go to enforce these laws that have been in the books, but not reiterated, for such a long time.