Tags:
Journalism of Courage
The Ruchika Girhotra case has already shown us some of the worst of India. Leave aside,even,the sordid initial actions of disgraced cop S.P.S. Rathore; the complicity of society at every level from Ruchikas school,to the
local cops,to the home ministry and the political class reveals how difficult it is,sometimes,to envision an India in which the powerful are held to account. Each of us,at some point,has kept silent,or accepted injustice,for fear that the awful machinery of an intrusive state should be turned against us by some insider. So it is that when a case like this is exposed,bottled-up frustrations explode in righteous anger.
Not only is this inappropriate for a liberal state,but it has very real effects. Consider this: we are faced,following Rathores sentencing,with one fact,that the law covering sexual molestation of minors is horrifyingly weak reflecting the dubious Victorian morality that underpins our criminal code and that a maximum sentence of two years is unacceptable today. We must change that. But heres the great tragedy in forcing institutions politics,police,the legal system that bent to the powerful to now bend to public anger: we focus on a particular instance,on one man,rather than on ensuring that future Ruchikas are protected. Let it be clearly understood: citizen activism has its place. This newspaper prides itself on its history of laying bare the misuse of power before the public. But the courtroom,and judicial investigation,must be as insulated from the fury of the justifiably incensed as it should be from the whims of the well-connected. So let us curb our anger,if it gets in the way of setting things to rights. Anything else would be injustice for Ruchika.
