(Please note that this is not an original piece) One morning, after her husband returned from fishing and had decided to take a nap, the wife thought of taking the boat out for a little ride of her own. Although not very familiar with the topography of the lake, as she was visiting the the camping cum fishing site for the first time, she motored out to a short distance, anchored and started reading the newly released, claimed to be a novel by E.L. James, which she had picked up at the airport.
gap
Barely five minutes had passed, when, out of nowhere, popped up a Game Warden in his boat. He pulled up alongside the lady and told her in a matter of fact manner, “Good morning, Ma’am. What are you doing?”
gap
“Reading a book,” she replied, while keeping to herself, the next part that almost slipped out, “Isn’t that obvious?”
gap
The warden did not seem to be impressed. “You’re in a restricted fishing area”, he informed her in a gravely tone.
gap
“I’m sorry, officer, but I’m not fishing. I’m reading a book!”
gap
“Yes, I can see that. But, you have all the equipment. For all I know, you could start at any moment. I’ll have to take you in and write you up.” The warden, evidently, had an unrelenting attitude.
gap
“For reading a book?”, she exasperatedly asked!
gap
“You’re in a restricted fishing area ….”, he droned on, like a robot. The lady, this time, enraged, cut him off sharply, “I’m sorry, officer, but I’m not fishing. For your kind information, I’m reading!” The warden, clearly in a league of his own, brushed aside the angry tone in her speech and repeated, “Yes, but you have all the equipment. For all I know, you could start at any moment. I’ll have to take you in and write you up.”
gap
By this time, she had already had enough, and decided to strike back. “If you do that, I’ll have to charge you with sexual assault”, says the woman, in a calm voice.
gap
“But, but..”, stumbled the warden, “I haven’t even touched you”! He was clearly perplexed.
gap
“That’s true, but you have all the necessary equipment. For all I know, you could start at any moment”, the lady replied in an even calmer voice.
gap
“Have a nice day Ma’am”, that was all, the warden could mutter, before he hurriedly left the place. :-) gap gap
The year was probably 1987/88, and I had seen a film by Shyam Benegal, titled Manthan, which coincidentally shares it's year of birth with me. In those days of Door Darshan, anything other than Krishi Darshan was eagerly lapped up, but a song from the film remained with me. This very song, Mero Gaam Katha Parey, sung by Preeti Sagar, would push me to watch the film again, years later, in around 1994, and I became a fan of Dr. Verghese Kurien. shovon chakraborty
If there's one single person ever, who has changed the entire landscape of a whole region, thorough his sheer persistence and relentless pursuits of the vision, which he believed in, here was the man. He took on the middlemen - the wholesalers, the moneylenders, and even the age-old feudal structure, present in the villages, in and around Anand. Nobody, from the moneyed classes, were happy with him. But his efforts resulted in the flowing of not red blood, but white milk, and led to a historic revolution among the local untouchables and the economically backward communities. Dr. Kurien lead from the front to create iconic institutions, such as, Amul, Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), Institute of Rural Management - Anand (IRMA) and many more. His open brief to Sylvester daCunha resulted in the creation of the "Amul Baby" or "Amul Girl", perhaps the most iconic Indian brand symbols. shovon chakraborty
When Dr. Kurien landed at Anand, the situation was bleak. But, his vision, coupled with the guts to walk the talk, started a chain reaction, which has been variously termed as Operation Flood and White Revolution of India. As Mr. R.P. Aneja, the former Managing Director of National Dairy Development Board and a colleague of Kurien for 24 years, recounted in The Hindu Business Line, "Before the IT industry made India matter in the world, the biggest success story of the country was its dairy sector.""Who was responsible for this revolution? One person who more or less single-handedly organised millions of small and marginal farmers into very successful organisations was Verghese Kurien." he went on to declare. shovon chakraborty
In the decades immediately after the independence, India was hugely dependent on imports of milk powder for meeting its nutritional needs. After, Dr. Kurien's efforts bore fruit, India became self-sufficient in milk and even started exporting milk powder and other milk products. Its annual milk production increased from 20 million tonnes in the 1970s to 80 million tonnes in the 1990s and 122 million tonnes by 2010, earning the title of World's topmost milk producer in the process. Amul, which began its journey with just two village dairy co-operative societies and 247 litres of milk, has grown to be a Rs. 11,668 crore brand with milk collection of 3.88 billion litres in 2011-12. Today, GCMMF, which markets its dairy products under the Amul brand name, has emerged as India's largest integrated dairy products manufacturing and marketing organisation. verghese kurien milkman of india amul baby shed tears
But, Dr. Verghese Kurien's achievements and impacts are not merely measured by numbers or revenues in Rs . His actual impact can be gauged from the empowerment of millions of people, both from India and abroad, and who came largely from the so called lower strata of the society. Kurien emphasised that democracy in Delhi needed to be underpinned by democracy in the villages. He was a firm believer in the unmatched combination of farmers and professionals working together to serve the rural areas. And, the institutions set up by him have visibly demonstrated that cooperatives do work as democratic institutions in India. His efforts not only helped the marginalized people to gain their rightful place in the society, but also ensured that, unlike communist ideologies, all sections were part of the growth and the development process. shovon obituary dr. verghese kurien
Especially, in today's political atmosphere, vitiated by increasing levels of hatred and intolerance, Dr. Kurien's ideas of empowering the masses at the root, through the cooperatives model, and heralding in an era of inclusive development, stand tall. obituary dr. verghese kurien
A truly remarkable man, among the very best, India has ever given birth to, Dr. Kurien, the Milkman of India, lived to fulfill a dream, which he had. There will never be another like him and his 58 years old "baby daughter", the Amul Girl, has actually personified the grief of the entire nation. We can only salute you Dr. Kurien, and thank you for the real-life lessons! Rest In Peace Sir! shovon obituary dr. verghese kurien
shovon obituary dr. verghese kurien
(Since CPI - Maoist is the dominant Maoist group in India, I have used the term Maoist and CPI - Maoist interchangeably. Some information have been cited from sources collected through Wikipedia. - Shovon Chakraborty) Lenin had used the term "useful idiots", to describe the romantic liberals of Russia, whose hearts had been bleeding for his Bolshevik comrades. Although, Lenin and his comrades had only one agenda, that of a violent uprising against what they viewed as corrupt and the rotten system, these romantic at heart, social activists, eulogized their "ism" and ultimately helped them in putting in place, a dictatorial "party-cracy". It took the people of Russia and its colonies, 73 more years to break free from the shackles of communism. gap Jump cut to India, circa 2012. Do we see a similar pattern emerging? Although, no Azad or Kishenda or Ganapathy or Kishenji has ever said something even remotely resembling Lenin's assertion, the laptop-totting, can't live without air-conditioning, armchair revolutionaries have been supporting the Maoists in exactly the same manner, as their Vodka gulping counterparts had done some 100 years ago. The so called intelligentsia do claim to have some kind of justification and logical arguments for their continued support of the self-styled "revolutionaries", the "Maoists", but those are hard to understand. gap The stock responses from these so called activists, start with some high pitch sounds against brahminism and manuvad (whatever those may mean), followed by pointing out how Maoists are pro-poor and fight for the oppressed massed and ultimately ending with the "excesses" committed by the people in power and the capitalist juggernaut. Radicals among these have even called the Maoist cadres, "Gandhian with a gun", probably, the best example of an oxymoron!
gap All of these, lead me to ask the question - Are there really any substance in those logical (at least, according to the claims) arguments? Or, the intelligentsia, as usual, merely playing with words to pull a fast one over the general population of the country and ensure in the process, headline hogging sensational news-stories on themselves? There are also the added incentives in the form of lucrative speaking and writing assignments in foreign countries. shovon chakraborty writes on maoist terrorism I would like to believe myself as a casual observer of the Indian political arena. After all, with multiplexes charging a minimum of Rs. 200/- per person, the best form of affordable entertainment is provided, only by the politicians and the assorted activists. Now, with that self-certified tag, I become competent enough to pass judgement on the veracity of the arguments. salwa judum Even to a casual observer like me, the argumentative Indian intelligentsia's comments, can only evoke laughter and contempt. The childish attempts at justifying Maoist's actions, are hollow and even the various groups of supporters' comments, contradict one another. gap The stated objectives and activities of CPI (Maoist) clearly suggest that there are something more sinister in their scheme of things, than their "masks" in the public, e.g. poets like Gadar and Vara Vara Rao, will openly admit. The diverse mishmash, that constitute the supporter base of the Maoists, try to create an impression, as if the Maoist leaders are all saints and roam around with a halo behind their heads! gap A more than disinterested look at the modus operandi of the Maoists will tell anyone, that they are actually fighting the current democratic system of governance. The adivasis and/or the poorest of the poor are merely pawns in their greater scheme of things. The current organization, CPI (Maoist), was formed after the merger of People's War Group (PWG) and Maoist Communist Center (MCC). The merged entity decided to follow "Marxism-Leninism-Maoism" as its "ideological basis guiding its thinking in all spheres of its activities." Included in this ideology is a commitment to continue a "protracted armed struggle" to "undermine and to seize power" from the state. Simply stated, their inherent motive is to overthrow the current democratic disposition and to install a one party dictatorship in its place. What's more interesting is their view on the Islamic terrorism. They view Islamist militancy as a "struggle towards national liberation against imperialism", rather than as a clash of civilizations, and condones it as having parallel goals to the group's own. Now, who in their right frame of mind would like to live in a country or society, where your freedom and rights are either non-existent or severely curtailed? Not me! Probably Ms. Roy, Mr. Sen et al can better answer this. gap The Maoist sphere of influence mainly includes the areas, which are the least developed, viz. remote regions of Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh, as well as Bihar and the tribal-dominated areas in the borderlands of Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Orissa. The CPI (Maoist) aims to consolidate its power in these areas and establish a "Compact Revolutionary Zone", from which they would advance the people's war in to other parts of India. The highest decision making body of the party is the Politburo, comprising thirteen or fourteen members, seven of whom were either killed or arrested between 2007-11. Central Committee is the second highest body in the party hierarchy, followed - in descending order - by Regional Bureaus, which look after two or three states each, the State Committees, the Zonal Committees, the District Committees, and the "dalams" or armed squads. Apart from these, the party also forces villagers, who have to live in areas under its de facto control, to act as scouts and the first ring of security guards under the sobriquet "People's Militia". This structured set up tells us that the Maoists are no rag tag band of anarchists, but a rather professional outfit. gap In their efforts to intimidate and consolidate control, the Maoists tax locals, extort businesses, abduct and kill "class enemies" such as government officials and police officers and have been found to regulate the flow of even aids and necessary goods. To help fill their ranks, the Maoists force each family under their domain to supply one family member and anybody, unfortunate enough to resist, meets a violent end. These terrorists have also been holding kangaroo courts, against their perceived opponents in the areas under their control, and more often than not, the hapless accused's fate is meet a bloodied end. The Maoists have also taken care to demolish government institutions and installations, including schools, communications towers and health centers, citing these as threats to their continued dominance of the regions. gap The Maoists reject parliamentary democracy and their stated aim is to capture power through protracted armed struggle based on guerrilla warfare. This strategy entails building up bases in rural and remote areas and transforming them first into guerrilla zones and then into "liberated zones", in addition to "encircling cities". The military hardware used by Maoists, as indicated through a number of seizures, include RDX or Semtex explosives, gelatine sticks, wired and wireless detonators, RPGs, assault rifles like INSAS, AK-47, FN-FAL, country-made weapons and improvised explosive devices. According to reports, total seizures of explosives till date, have been well over 20,000 kg. gap The funding for the Maoists comes from abductions, extortion and by collecting protection money, which they call taxes, in rural areas where official government appears to be absent. Poppy cultivation is another major source of funding for Maoists in large tracts of lands in Bihar and Jharkhand. In Orissa, they have been cultivating hemp to help fund their activities. In most of the cases, armed Maoist cadres force the peasants to cultivate these in the place of rice or paddy. gap The Maoists are not at all bothered whether the living conditions of the common people become better or whether they get to eat three square meals in a day or not. In fact, if the conditions become better and the youths get regular works, there will be an acute shortage in the number of armed cadres, the "action-squad" members. After all, with food to eat and job in hand, who would like to live as a hermit in the forests wielding a gun and with a very real threat of being gunned down by the security forces at any time looming over the head? gap After going through their activities, any person with a bit of sense prevailing, would have asked a few questions. gap Questions like how do the general strikes, which normally lead to a loss of livelihood for the poorest sections, benefit the common man, apart from the show of strength by the terrorists? In what way, the blowing up of schools and health centers help the common people to progress? Why is it that any damn business can operate in the Maoist infested areas, if they pay the required amount of protection money to them? What purposes have been served by sabotaging railway tracks, which have resulted in some of the worst accidents in the history of Indian Railways, with the total death toll running in to thousands? Why were public buses, carrying mostly the common people, blown up to kill, may be, 2 or 3 militias? Do the lives of 50 common people matter less than the death of 2-3 Salwa Judum activists? How do the cultivation and peddling of contraband drugs help the society? How come the Maoists always complain, like a crybaby, whenever one of their rank is killed, when they themselves do not fight following the rules of engagement? Why anyone opposing the Maoists' activities have to killed always? Because the Maoists do not accept the Constitution of India, do any of their captured comrades deserve to be treated according to the laws of the country? And, what about the protection rackets and kidnapping for ransom, which are hallmarks of the petty criminal gangs? Why don't they ever hid to the calls for discussion, when they are not threatened by the security forces? gap Have you ever heard any of the intellectuals to ask any of these questions? I haven't, and as such, I doubt their intentions too! gap The intellectuals want that there should first be developmental activities for the people living in the Maoist controlled areas. Some of them even contend that the state should improve the condition of the people of the country and the Maoist influence will go away on its own. gap Is that assumption correct? gap Actually, the Maoists' greatest fear is the implementation of the various development programs at the grass root level. Because, then they would lose whatever support base that they presently enjoy. That's why, they will never allow any kind of developmental activities to happen in the hinterlands controlled by them. And, to maintain their vice like grip over the territories, they can do anything, kill anyone and everyone coming in their way. gap The intellectuals are actually playing in to the hands of these terrorists. There are also some hard core believers in the Maoist ideology, who along with these intellectuals justify the terrorist activities by pointing to the so-called violence perpetrated by the state. The irony is the state has to conduct armed campaigns because of the Maoists, and not the other way round. gap I really don't know as to what stopped the various state governments and the center to act in unison and ensure that the issue is addressed for once and all. If required, the full might of the armed forces should be unleashed on these terrorists and no mercy should be shown, activists be damned. Without tackling the problem, no government shall be able to implement any developmental activities. Secondly, even if the developmental activities bear their fruit, the Maoists will still remain. Their terrorist activities are not aimed at development of the people, rather they are on a war against the nation, which they view as imperialist and bourgeois. Its trues that their cadre strength will be greatly diminished, but the hardcore members will continue their destructive and terrorist activities. Lastly, a Maoist takeover is bound to push the country towards the same dark days, as experienced by the people of Cambodia under Pol Pot or Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin or the Chinese under Mao himself, the threat should be permanently neutralized at any cost. There is no doubt that the Maoists should also enjoy their human rights, but perhaps, it is important that they common tax-paying, law-abiding citizens are not deprived of their own human rights. May be, the government will show some spine, even if for once. gap gap
It is generally believed that when the great city of Rome was burning in 64 AD, the Roman Emperor Nero was playing his fiddle. Although, over the years, many well known historians have questioned the credibility of this account and modern research studies have all but ruled out the possibility of a "fiddling" Nero, the same cannot be said about the present Chief Minister of Assam, Mr. Tarun Gogoi. for quite some time now, Assam has been hogging the headlines for all the wrong reasons. And, the Chief Minister, through his own handling of the media, has created an image of honest but inept administrator. gap First, it was one of the legislators from the CM's own party, Rumi Nath, who created quite a stir by eloping with a state government employee named Jakir, after abandoning her husband and a two year old daughter. Her elopement, conversion and illegal marriage to Jakir and the subsequent thrashing, that the pair was subjected to by a mob, catapulted all the actors to national stardom. gap Even before the ripples of this incident died down, a girl, barely out of her teens, was brutally molested, beaten up and almost stripped on the main arterial road of Guwahati, the G.S. Road, by a group of 15-20 youths and the whole incident was filmed too! Despite identifying the perpetrators from the video footage, the police simply sat on it and only after national media started highlighting the incident, they woke up. Ultimately, all the perpetrators could be arrested, but not before, the CM himself, created controversy by first disclosing the identity of the victim to the media and then by asking them to ignore it. gap Then came the unfortunate murder of a budding research scholar Pritam Bhattacharjee, who was mugged, kidnapped and ultimately murdered at Naugachia station in Bihar. In this case too, both the Bihar police and the Assam government were accused of being inactive by the deceased boy's family members, as well as, by the national media. gap And, then came the biggest and baddest of them all, the ethnic riots in Kokrajhar, Chirang and Dhubri districts of Assam, that led to more than 50 persons losing their lives and more than 170,000 persons to take shelter in relief camps after being displaced from their homes. In this instance too, the state government was caught napping. gap If we consider the demographic profile of the lower Assam's districts on the north bank of the Brahmaputra, the majority of the population can be divided in to three ethno-linguistic groups - Assamese, Bengali and Bodo. The Bodos, who had been fighting for their own homeland, were granted the status of an autonomous region within Assam, called Bodoland Territorial Areas District (BTAD) administered by the autonomous Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC). The territory came into existence under the BTC Accord and the territories under BTAD overlap with the districts of Kokrajhar, Baksa, Chirang and Udalguri in Assam. These are the very districts, where tensions between the Bodos and Bengali Muslims have been simmering for some time now. The Bodos fear that the continuous influx of Bengali Muslims from Bangladesh will eventually lead to a situation, when Bodos will become marginalized in their own homeland. On the other hand, the non-Bodo communities living in the BTAD territory fear that the Bodos would either deprive them or force them toleave the BTAD areas. This ill feeling between the communities have resulted in clashes earlier too, but those were much smaller in comparison. gap Since the partition and independence of India, there has been a steady inflow of illegal immigrants from East Pakistan and then Bangladesh. It has been claimed that this illegal influx is primarily responsible for changing the demographic profiles of different districts in Assam, especially the ones bordering Bangladesh. There have also been multiple agitations in the state demanding the detection and deportation of illegal immigrants. gap However, the situation has not changed much, over the years, and the influx continues till date, although at a much reduced scale, as per the claims of government agencies. Not only the Bodos, but Assamese and other indigenous communities also, have been vocal about this problem. Even a barbed wire fencing on the international border seem to have little effect on the illegal infiltration. gap The immediate trigger for the latest round of clashes was the news of the murder of 4 ex-Bodo Liberation Tigers rebels, ostensibly at the hands of Bengali Muslims. As the news spread, armed posse of Bodos attacked villages with substantial Bengali Muslim population. Those who could flee, were lucky to have escaped death, but their houses were burnt down. After the first wave of attack, the Bengali Muslims also retaliated in the same manner and the clashes resulted in more than 170,000 people from both the communities to flee their homes and take shelter in the camps set up by the state government. Those who were not lucky enough, were killed and the death toll, according to official estimate, has been put at 58, while unofficial sources point at a much higher figure. gap When these clashes started, the state government was conspicuous by its inaction. By the time the state government woke up from its slumber, full scale violence had erupted in Kokrajhar, Chirang and Dhubri districts, with both the communities baying for the other's blood. The Chief Minister, known for keeping a "smiley face" always, came across as an inept administrator, who had no clue whatsoever as to the happenings in his state. His statements lacked conviction and the words were seldom backed up by law and peacekeeping actions by his administration. Instead of mobilizing the central forces, in addition to the state police forces, the government allowed the rioters to have a field day for more than 48 hours. It was only when the central government started to breathe down the state government's neck, the army were called in. Had the Chief Minister and his government been proactive, the situation might not have escalated in to a full blown war between the communities. A timely intervention by the government could have saved many lives. It could also have prevented several thousands of people from suffering the trauma of being displaced from their homes, loss of their properties and livelihoods. gap On his part, Tarun Gogoi, the Chief Minister, blamed the Indian Army, claiming that the army top brass had wasted precious time by not taking any action, despite repeated requests from the state government. He also claimed that had the army personnel been deployed in time, the casualties would have been much lower. He also refused to accept that his administration had failed miserably in maintaining the law and order in the state and to protect the lives and properties of innocent citizens. gap I understand that as the administrative head of the state, it was and it is, Mr. Gogoi's duty to ensure the safety of life, livelihood and properties of the inhabitants of the state. And, however much he may deny, ultimately the buck stops at his door only. It seems that inaction has become the new mantra for his administration, as has been highlighted repeatedly over the period of last few months. Instead of owning up the responsibility and accepting the mistakes, the CM chose to play a round of blame game. The only parallel that I can think of is that of Nero, as has been outlined in the first paragraph. Perhaps, Mr. Gogoi is serving his last term as the state's CM and when the time for the next assembly election arrives, he will have to pass the mantle of leading the ruling party in to the election, to one of his junior colleagues. Already, the political circles of the state are abuzz with such a possibility and the name of Mr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, the Education Minister in Gogoi's cabiner, is doing the rounds as the hot favourite to succeed him.
It's a "story" that is 6 days old now. Yet, the brutality and the mindless nature of the crime that took away the life of a budding PhD scholar, leaves a lot to be answered. The murder has again shown, very clearly, that Bihar remains in a state of perpetual lawlessness. That, despite all the tall claims by Nitish Kumar and his governmental colleagues, there are no effective mechanism for ensuring protection for the common man in Bihar, yet. That, despite taking safety and security surcharges, Indian Railways does not care even the least bit for the safety and security of genuine travelers. And most importantly, we have understood, in no unclear terms, that Bihar's law enforcement agencies are as sensitive to victim's plights as the Nazis were to the Jews during the Holocaust!
Pritam Bhattacharjee, a 25 year old from Silchar, Assam, and holding a Masters in Science in Physics, was brutally murdered in Bihar. He had been traveling by Awadh-Assam Express to New Delhi for registering in Doctoral Program at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). The incidents leading to the murder are not very clear, but if the pieces are joined together, a definite and disturbing pattern can be visible.
A capture by Pritam Bhattacharjee. Not only good
at studies, he had a keen eye for photography too.
Titled "Glittering pearls down from the sky". Source: Facebook Profile.
On a fateful Sunday, the 8th of July 2012, Pritam had boarded the Awadh-Assam Express from Guwahati. As reported in The Telegraph, Calcutta, Pritam had told his mother about being “tormented” and harassed by four Bihari youths, who were his fellow passengers, albeit without ticket, as is the norm in Bihar, on the same train. His father, Shanker Bhattacharjee, a retired principal of the Women’s College in Silchar, told The Telegraph that his son appeared “frightened” when he informed his mother about the incident on the phone. It has been reported that the four Bihari persons, who were travelling in the S-10 coach of the Delhi-bound train, started harassing him soon after they crossed in to Bihar. They turned violent when the train reached Naugachia railway station and snatched his bag containing a camera, laptop, his original certificates and other important documents. Although, Pritam fought with the criminals, their superior numbers meant that he was unsuccessful in stopping them. Even the Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE) did not come to his help at that time. As the four criminals made their escape good, Pritam had to disembark from the train at Naugachia station and complained to a GRP official there, but the official preferred to “keep mum”. Thereafter, Pritam’s mobile phone was switched off and his family could not establish contacts with him any further.
Another capture by Pritam, titled, "Waves of colors reaching the shore". Courtesy: Facebook.
Exactly one week afterwards, on 16 July, Pritam's badly mutilated body was found lying on the railway track, under the Kataria overbridge, 12 km from the Naugachia station and around 200 km from the state capital, Patna. It has been deduced that he was held captive by a gang for at least five days. He was then killed in cold blood and his body was left on the railway track.
It is due to the gross negligence on the part of the General Railway Police (GRP) and the Bihar Police, that Pritam had to loose his life. Of course, he was foolish enough to chase a pickpocket in, of all places, rural Bihar, where lawlessness reigns supreme. But, that does not absolve the police forces and the authorities of their culpability in this murder. The GRP officer, whom Pritam had approached at Naugachia, did not offer any support and even termed Pritam a "mad boy". What prompted him to act that way? Perhaps, a hefty commission from the gang! The Bihar police, on its part, could have taken the complaint filed by Pritam's family, about his disappearance, seriously and could have "actually" mounted a search and rescue operation for freeing him. But they too chose to remain idle for a considerable amount of time, thereby offering the gang a free run. Even the sole catch from the gang responsible for Pritam's murder, a Ram Krishna Singh, happened by sheer luck. He was caught by a village mukhia in a separate case and handed over to the police.
Once the death was confirmed, a game of "passing the bucks" started among the different organizations. Awadh-Assam Express, which is operated by N.F. Railway termed the murder as a law and order issue without owning any responsibility. The East Central Railway, a Lalu Prasad creation, under which Naugachia station falls, also washed its hands by claiming that the incident happened at a place that was under the jurisdiction of the state police. The Director General of Police, Bihar, looked visibly irritated, when asked about Pritam's murder and passed the buck on to the railway authorities. The General Railway Police (GRP) did not wish to comment saying that they had ordered an inquiry in to the matter. Lastly, Mr. Nitish Kumar, the so called Chief Executive style CM of Bihar, proffered his valuable input describing the murder as an isolated incidence! Only if, "passing the buck" were included in the Olympics!
Totally lost in this mad rush to wash off responsibility, is the general helplessness of passengers travelling in trains, against the attacks of the organized gangs aiming to rob them and the possibility of suffering grievous physical harm in case they choose to offer the slightest of resistances. The total indifference shown by multiple government agencies have united the common people of both the Brahmaputra and Barak valleys, which is probably the only positive from the entire affair. There have been spontaneous and sustained protests, both online, as well as, on the ground, by students' bodies, rights groups, apolitical and political organizations that have galvanized the people of Assam to rise for a common cause.
This incident prompts me to ask a few questions to those responsible for ensuring the safety and security of ordinary citizens in that particular geographic region. Who will be responsible for the passengers' safety, when trains travel through the badlands of Bihar? Should the passengers leave their valuables, like camera, laptop or mobile phone at their homes, before undertaking a journey that takes her/him through Bihar? If the general people of Bihar consider it to be their birthright to travel without a ticket, why should others pay for reservation of their seats? If the GRP personnel cannot act on a complaint by a genuine, ticket bearing passenger, then why should these useless fellows be reared wasting taxpayers', i.e. our money? What about the cases of stealing, robbery, molestation, those keep on happening in trains, even to passengers travelling by air conditioned coaches? Without any complicity by the law enforcers, the GRP and Railway Protection Force (RPF), how is it possible for the gangs to continue their "business" with impunity? Have we, ever, heard about RPF personnel confronting a gang of criminals, on any trains? The questions are too many, with answers very rare to come.
And, I have some questions, as well as, suggestions for the Chief Executive of Bihar, Mr. Nitish Kumar, too. Firstly, Mr. Kumar, is this the example of your much publicized Bihar Version 2.0? Isn't there more sound bytes than actions on your and your administration's part since you came to power for the second time? Nitish Kumar, it probably will be best for you, as well as, for the people of Bihar and the people travelling through Bihar, if you devote more time to governing the state, instead of being obsessed with Narendra Modi all the time. It seems that you have taken the thought of becoming the Prime Minister of India after the 2014 general election too seriously! As a result, you have lost the focus on governance and have been dabbling in all sorts of non-issues these days. Nitish Kumar, your second stint as the Bihar CM has been high on rhetoric and pathetically low on actionable items. At this rate, you have started following on the footsteps of your predecessor, Lalu Prasad Yadav. Instead of terming this gruesome murder as an isolated incidence, why could not you ensure that your police "actually" searched for the abducted youth? Or, why haven't you taken any actions against the guilty cops, who, it seems, went out of their way, not to book the offenders in this case? Why is your Director General of Police, carrying an air of arrogance around him, looked visibly irritated when some reporters asked about the status of this case? And lastly, Mr. Kumar, how can you claim that the rule of law has been established in Bihar? If incidents, such as this, are examples of good governance, then I shudder to think about what you consider as lawlessness!
Pritam Bhattacharjee, in his death, grabbed the headlines, precisely because he is dead. A budding research scholar lost his life due to the ineptness of the purported keepers of the law. As a common citizen of India, I can only feel sorry for the lad, for his parents and people who had been close to him.
With a heavy heart, I can only wish that your soul may rest in peace. Pritam, you did not deserve to die now - at this age and in this manner. Had you been born at some other civilized country, your fate might have been different. Unfortunately, you were born in India, where lawlessness is the new law, talking replaces doing and protectors turn destroyer in chief. The public memory has the notorious reputation for being really short lived. A few days from now, we will forget about Pritam. Until the next victim succumbs to his fate, that is, and the cycle will continue.
Rajesh Khanna as and in Anand.
From the song Zindagi Kaise Hain Paheli Hai
Just heard the sad news that Rajesh Khanna is no more. My first reaction on hearing the news was to look up and play the song Zindagi Kaisi Hain Paheli Hai from Anand, where his eponymous character was shown to be suffering from Lymphosarcoma of the intestine and had been given a limited timeline to live. But, Anand, the person, showed an amazing liveliness and a philosophical outlook towards the inevitable. In a case of real life imitating the reel, Kaka, as he was fondly referred to, had been battling cancer for quite some time and ultimately lost earlier today, 18 July 2012. He was 69 and survived by estranged wife Dimple Kapadia and daughters Twinkle and Rinke.
shovon chakraborty tribute to rajesh khanna
Rajesh Khanna was the original superstar of Bollywood, a term that seemed to have been coined to describe his exploits on and off the screen and the craze surrounding his persona. He had appeared like a comet in the 1960's and took the Hindi film industry by storm, just like "Veni, vidi, vici". Does this look like a cliche? May be, but that's the only way to describe his entry in to the filmdom and meteoric rise.
shovon chakraborty tribute to rajesh khanna
At a time, when Indian film industry was controlled mostly by the big studios, Kaka, as he was fondly referred to, appeared on the horizon as one of a kind, the brightest star of them all. Hindi film industry had seen many a matinee idols prior to Rajesh Khanna, like Ashok Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar and Dev Anand, who had all cast a spell on the audience, especially women, in their time, but the mass hysteria that followed in Rajesh Khanna's wake was never seen before. At his peak, his mere sight caused women to faint. Stories galore about his female fans slashing their wrists or sending him love letters written with their own blood. Among men, his hairstyle and distinctive kurta became a rage. His inimitable sideways nod and the style of delivering dialogues were practiced by generations of young men to impress their women.
shovon chakraborty tribute to rajesh khanna
When Rajesh Khanna was busy climbing the popularity charts and breaking box office records, I was yet some years away from being born. My first memory of him is from the film Andaz, where he is shown riding a motorbike, Hema Malini in pillion, and Kishore Kumar's superhit "Zindagi Ek Safar Hain Suhana" on his lips. I remember crying at the death of his character. That was early 1980's, probably 1981, and I was yet to complete 5 years. But that memory, Hema Malini's giggles, Rajesh Khanna's mannerisms while riding the bike, Kishore's golden voice, everything got etched in to my memory for ever and before I knew it, I became a fan.
shovon chakraborty tribute to rajesh khanna
Afterwards, I have watched most of his notable and not-so-notable films, seen him fading away from his throne in Bollywood, read about his much publicised affairs with Anju Mahendroo, Dimple Kapadia and Tina Munim, even criticized him for acting in forgettable flicks, but his star quotient never, for a even a moment, declined.
shovon chakraborty tribute to rajesh khanna
Its common knowledge that he achieved superstardom with Aradhana in 1969, that all his films between 1969 and 1972 were commercially successful, that he had won three Filmfare Awards for the Best Actor, four BFJA Awards in the same category and the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award too. His on-screen chemistry with several leading ladies, including Sharmila Tagore, Mumtaz, Tina Munim, Asha Parekh and Hema Malini among others, were the stuffs of legends. Backed by big banner producers, best supporting cast and crew, superhit songs, mostly sung by Kishore Kumar and director backed roles, Rajesh Khanna dominated the industry for a considerable period of time, starting from the late Sixties.
shovon chakraborty tribute to rajesh khanna
Rajesh Khanna's fall from cinematic peak, when it came, was almost as spectacular and sudden, as his rise. With the rise of a 6'2" man named Amitabh Bachchan, Rajesh Khanna's charisma gradually started to wean away. His smile, nods and dialogue delivery could no longer create the same impact, his name no longer ensured ringing cash registers at the box office. As the Seventies passed, Rajesh Khanna was no longer the matinee idol of Bollywood. The tag of bankable superstar, whose presence ensured commercial success, had shifted to Amitabh Bachchan and the formulaic Bollywood machinery cashed in on his "angry young man" image instead of the romantic image of Khanna. At this juncture, Rajesh Khanna also tried to reinvent himself as an action oriented star, but was not successful in the endeavor. The Eighties saw him as an also ran actor and by the Nineties, he was totally out of favour. But his stature and personal charisma did not diminish. This was partly due to the fact that in spite of his image as the matinee idol, he had played a variety of roles - the terminally ill Anand Sehgal, an all-in-one domestic help in Bawarchi, an alcoholic and lonely husband in Amar Prem, a psychiatric patient in Khamoshi, a handicapped inventor in Avtaar, a fugitive in Roti etc. In the nineties, he even dabbled in politics and was a member of the lower house of the parliament between 1992 and 1996, representing Indian National Congress.
shovon chakraborty tribute to rajesh khanna
But, there was more to Rajesh Khanna than his "superstar", the "king of Bollywood" or political leader image. He had single-handedly changed the dynamics of the Bollywood industry, from a studio oriented set-up to a star/actor oriented one. The kind of popularity, that he had enjoyed at his peak, has not been seen since then. His craze was way more than those enjoyed by even the likes of Amitabh Bachchan or Shah Rukh Khan. His mannerisms, dialogue delivery - everything remains unique even today. As the saying goes, they don't make men like him anymore.
shovon chakraborty tribute to rajesh khanna
One, among his numerous hits, Daag, had the following lines delivered by his character, "Izzatein, shohratein, chahatein, ulfatein / Koi bhi cheez duniya main rahti nahi / Aaj main hoon jahan kal koi aur tha / Yeh bhi ek daur hain woh bhi ek daur tha! Aaj itni mohabbat na do doston / Ki mere kal ki khatir na kuchh bhi rahe / Aaj ka pyar thoda bacha kar rakkho / Mere kal ke liye!" Looking back, this seems to be the fate of many a famous actors once they had ridden in to the sunset. Thankfully, for Rajesh Khanna, it was not to be, and he was never short of love and adulation from his fans. As he said in his last commercial, shot for Havell's fans, nobody could take away his fans from him.
shovon chakraborty tribute to rajesh khanna
As we mourn his passing away, I go back to Anand again. Anand would not have liked us to shed tears, as he himself had said, "I hate tears!"
shovon chakraborty tribute to rajesh khanna
I end this fan's homage to the superstar by quoting the immortal lines from, what else, Anand again. After Anand Sehgal's (Rajesh Khanna) death, a distraught Bhaskar Banerjee (Amitabh Bachchan) gets to hear his friends voice, which was taped, and through that tape recorder, Anand says, "Zindagi aur maut uparwale ke haath mein hain, Jahanpanah. Hum sab rangmanch ki kathputliyan hain, jinki dor uparwale ki ungliyon se bandhi hui hain. Kab kaun uthega koi nahin bata sakta. Ha ha ha." Literally, we are all puppets in the hands of the almighty, and he holds the strings of our lives. Nobody knows whose turn is next.
shovon chakraborty tribute to rajesh khanna
So aptly summarized! Rajesh Khanna, we thank you Sir, for entertaining us, for making us laugh and cry, for making us feel joyous, for creating belief in us that even we can, and wish that your soul rests in peace!
Are we, the citizens of India, on a progressive or regressive path? The question popped up because of numerous incidents of human rights violations, which have occurred in recent times. Ideally, such incidents should not have occurred in a law-abiding, genteel, cultured and to a large extent, educated society. Unfortunately, there is no sign of a decline of similar incidents; rather, these have, over the period of time, grown in numbers. It has almost become a routine for us to be greeted with some news of abuses and tortures being committed on, common citizens, especially women. In spite of our senses being somewhat blunted by repeated occurrence of these, the free for all attack on a hapless girl on the late evening of 9th July at Guwahati, came as a real shocker. The brazen manner, in which a group of around 20 men pulled the girl by her hair, slapped and kicked her, torn her dresses and all the while smiled and posed for the benefit of the camera crew capturing the incident, clearly showed the perpetrators to be appallingly imperious and devoid of any respect or fear for the law of the land. That the incidence took place on the busiest road of Guwahati, the GS Road, at 9.30 pm, only makes it more chilling. shovon chakraborty
The perpetrators of the crime, as identified from
the video, that was recorded by a news crew. Image source: IBN Live.
When I first saw the clippings of a girl being slapped around, manhandled, abused and insulted in every conceivable manner, by a group of men, who were least bothered about the fact that they were being captured live in the act, I was shocked to the core. Was this the same Guwahati which I know, or should I say, I knew? What happened that late evening was not a part of Guwahati that I hold so dear to my heart. shovon chakraborty condemn the molestation guwahati The different pieces of the Monday night's jigsaw, when added, show a really disturbing pattern. There have been multiple versions of the incidents that led to the public humiliation of the girl, who had lost her parents at a very tender age and was staying with a friend's family. punishment for all culprits According to the official statements by the police chief of Guwahati, the girl, along with some friends, had gone to the lounge bar for celebrating a friend's birthday. Once inside, a fight broke out among them and all members of the group were thrown out of the bar. Outside, a group of youths passed some lewd comments and the girl protested, leading to the abominable incident. There are some counter arguments too. According to some eyewitness account, two girls had come out of the bar. Seeing them alone, a group of youths standing by the nearby pan shop, tried to act in a vulgar way, and when the girl slapped one of them, all hell broke loose. shovon chakraborty capital punishment for perpetrators
But, noted social and rights activist Akhil Gogoi, has altogether a different story to tell. He told NDTV that Gaurav Jyoti Neog, a reporter from NewsLive, the television channel owned by Congress leader and Health Minister of Assam, Himanta Bishwa Sharma, was the mastermind behind the ghastly attack. He alleged that Neog had tried to pull the girls to a waiting car and when they resisted, he incited the mob to attack the girl, while her friend somehow ran away. Mr. Gogoi also held a press conference to claim that he had the necessary evidence, in the form of raw video footage of the incident, to implicate Neog. He also alleged that Neog was heard telling the leader of the mob, to bring the girl to a well-lit area, because the video quality was suffering due to low light. It has to be noted that the incidence occurred at a place that was barely 300-400 meters from the News Live's office and the whole incident was captured by the on duty correspondent and camera crew of News Live. shovon chakraborty guwahati attack
Mr. Mukul Kalita, Editor, Ajir Oxom. He was the only
person to come forward and save the girl. Image Source: OhFish.
Whatever may be the cause, the fact remains that a 20 year old girl was abused on the main arterial road of Guwahati, the G.S. Road, for 40 minutes, without anybody raising their voice in protest. More surprisingly, the place was barely one kilometer away from the nearest police station and also from the seat of power, the state secretariat. After being informed, probably by NewsLive personnel, it took the Assam Police more than 40 minutes, to cover the 1 kilometer distance. While the ordeal of the girl lasted for 40 odd minutes, no one came forward to help her, although hundreds of vehicles passed through the road. Some of the passersby were seen capturing the incident in their mobile, while others simply looked the other way. Only when Mr. Mukul Kalita, editor of the Assamese daily Ajir Oxom, reached the spot, the girl found a savior. He valiantly saved her from her attackers and in the process was himself heckled too. Soon afterwards, the police ultimately arrived at the scene and the girl was handed over to them. Surprisingly, they did not even try to arrest the attackers and were seen chatting with some of them! Mr. Kalita told NDTV that even after the police had rescued the girl, the mob followed her into the police jeep that was filled with armed cops, and hit her. One need not be a rocket scientist to understand the nexus between the protectors of the law and the lawbreakers. guwahati attack victim class 11 student handique college Although, this incident happened on 9th July, Monday, the Assam Police did not do anything till Wednesday, 11th July. They simply sat on the incident without even conducting an inquiry or recording the statement of the victim. On 10th July, Tuesday, News Live showed an edited footage of the incident during their evening news. The next day, Mr. Atanu Bhuyan, the Chief Editor of News Live, uploaded the same clipping to YouTube from his personal account. It was then that the national media and the rights group picked up the incident and gave it a wide publicity. Only after this happened, the Assam Police woke up from the slumber and started a probe. From the video taken by News Live, 13 persons could be identified, including the supposed leader, Amar Jyoti Kalita. But, even after 5 days had passed, the police could only arrest 3 persons, including one, who was identified by the local people of Bijni and handed over to the police. state government inept corrupt collusion criminals
Hoardings put up by Assam Public Works,
asking the people to inform the police
on the whereabouts of the perpetrators. Image Source: India Today.
Meanwhile, activists have been demanding stern actions against the perpetrators of the crime. Local rights groups have put up hoardings at public places in Guwahati, with the mugshots of the perpetrators, with the aim of shaming them publicly. People have also come down heavily on the state government for the lawlessness prevailing in the state. They have alleged that due to the continued patronage by the corrupt and inept political leaders, criminals are enjoying a free run, leading to an increase in such incidents. Even the National Commission for Women (NCW) member Alka Lamba, who had been sent to Guwahati on a fact finding mission, has drawn flak from all quarters due to her inept handling of the case. It may be noted that Alka Lamba has been an active member of the ruling Indian National Congress' student wing NSUI and she is also one among the handpicked new generation leaders, as chosen by Rahul Gandhi. Quite logically, her actions are being seen as trying to protect her brethren in the state government. She has committed the cardinal sin by releasing the name of the victim at a press conference, which is a strict no-no as per Supreme Court of India's directive. Subsequently, Lamba was removed from the investigating team by the NCW Chairperson. In unrelated incident, both Gaurav Jyoti Neog and Atanu Bhuyan have resigned from their respective positions at News Live, purportedly to help conduct a free and fair inquiry in to the role of Neog and News Live in the incident. Although, Neog came out with a written statement claiming innocence, it was subsequently disclosed that the tormentor in chief, Amar Jyoti Kalita, is a close friend of his. A Senior Superintendent of Police has also been transferred. state chief minister tarun gogoi himanta biswa sharma guilty scams But, to me, all these are too little and came too late. The way, the girl's identity was released by Alka Lamba and even the Chief Minister of Assam, Tarun Gogoi, shows their insensitivity and the lack of respect for the law. The CM even had the guts to tell the media persons afterwards, to ignore the matter and not to report the name. However, till today, in one of the YouTube videos, the girl's face is visible and her name, address, class and name of the college can be clearly heard. punish the culprits of guwahati attack, molestation, stripping girl And the way, the perpetrators were behaving in front of the camera, clearly exemplified that they did not fear the law. This "don't care" attitude might have resulted from the fact that they were part of a mob, and thought that the sheer numbers made them invulnerable and beyond the reach of the law. They might also have thought that their "connections" with the persons wielding power, would act as the protective shield. Or more simply, they might have thought that the toothless administration would not be able to do anything against them. The group might have been peeved at the "courage" of two girls going to a bar for drinks and probably took "offence" because one of them had dared to fight back. They might have wanted to teach the girls a lesson for being independent and probably wanted to show her the "true place", where she belongs. Such incidents, almost always, result from the perverted, medieval mentality of the perpetrators, who want to show or stamp the so called "male superiority" over women. It may be noted however, that, individually, most of these men would behave otherwise, and only when they are a part of a larger group of people, their basic instincts come out. guwahati attack, molestation, stripping girl Having being born and brought up in Assam, anything related to the state is close to my heart. And, the recent incidents, be it the elopement and conversion of a much married MLA and the subsequent beating, which the pair were subjected to, or the abuse heaped on the girl the other day, only pains me. Probably, people like me can only feel the deep anguish, and cannot do anything actively on our part, to change the scenario. And, the ones, who have the power to affect the changes, choose to look at the other direction. That's the irony of the situation, which makes me, and probably many other citizens, feel so helpless! guwahati attack, molestation, stripping girl Is there a solution to this? Is there any full-proof way to ensure that no such incidence will take place in future? guwahati attack, molestation, stripping girl Many have argued that exemplary punishment should be meted out to the perpetrators of such crime. Social networks are full of messages baying for blood of Amar Jyoti Kalita & Co. People are calling for capital punishment, for stoning to death a la Saudi Arab, for castrating the accused and so on. These type of extreme intolerance is also worrying. But, probably, the common man, like in "A Wednesday", is fed up by the miscarriage of justice, by the lawlessness prevailing in many areas of the country, by seeing the moneyed and the powerful breaking the law and getting away with impunity, repeatedly. In any case, has the hanging of Dhananjay Chatterjee stopped the rapes of women? No. So, at least, I don't know of any full-proof method to ensure that no more atrocities on women are committed in future. For the time being, we can only hope that all those responsible for scarring the girl for the rest of her life, would pay for their crime according to the Indian law, and such incidents will be prevented by the law enforcing agencies in future. After all, we, the common citizens of India, can only hope against hope and nothing else!
It was 10th of April, 1986. In a remote area Tilkodi of Baghmundi village of Purulia district in West Bengal, Durgacharan Pramanik and his wife, Pushpa, became the proud parents of a daughter. The family named the baby daughter Pinki. They did not know that in due course of time, this daughter would become a champion athlete, winning medals for the country. Neither they could imagine that after 26 years, they would be facing questions on the gender of their daughter. Theirs was a poor family, like most others in the village, and being from Paramanik clan (traditionally barbers), they fall under the Scheduled Caste (SC) under the Indian law.
pinki pramanik mms misbehave arrest jail gap
Baghmundi, which borders the state of Jharkhand, is one of the backward villages in West Bengal and lacks even the very basic amenities. Pinki was a natural in athletics and for her, practicing in the early years meant running about 10 km per day by the riverside. She was spotted in her early teens, while participating in an inter-district meet and brought to Calcutta (Kolkata) in the year 2002. In the same yer, Pinki set four state records in her age group. This prompted the Sports Authority of India (SAI) to take her under their fold. In SAI, she was initially trained by Geeta Zutshi, who herself was a champion runner and ex-national record holder.
pinki pramanik mms misbehave arrest jail gap
In a career, which effectively ran between 2002 and 2006, Pinki won a number of international medals for India, including 2 Gold medals from Asian competitions and a further 3 from the South Asian Games. She also won a team Silver in the Commonwealth Games at Melbourne. After 2006, she has hardly taken part in any competitive events, either due to injuries or as some speculate, due to a hormone imbalance in her body.
pinki pramanik mms misbehave arrest jail gap
In the recent years, Pinki has been in the news, always for the wrong reasons, be it for carrying an improvised firearm in her bag, for leaving training center without informing anyone or for her reckless lifestyle. pinki pramanik mms misbehave arrest jail gap Whatever may be the reasons for being in the headline, it is well understood that Pinki Pramanik has been a well known person and cannot be considered as equivalent of the helpless and hapless wronged women, without any formal education. Even then, the treatment meted out to her, over the period of last one month or so, has come as a shocker to the most. The episode also raises the question, "If an India international is subjected to such inhuman torture, what would be the fate that would befall an ordinary woman in similar circumstances?"
pinki pramanik gender test man woman boy girl
Many of you might be thinking as to how Pinki managed to land in such a tight spot in the first place! To understand that, let's go back to the day when Pinki was arrested. pinki pramanik gender test man woman boy girl On 14 June 2012, Pinki was arrested by the Kolkata Police, after her female partner for the last couple of years, a divorcee and a mother of one, filed rape charges against her. She also claimed that Pinki is actually male. The police took Pinki for a check up to a private nursing home in Baguihati, where she was declared to be a male by the attending doctors. And, from here, her ordeal really started.
pinki pramanik gender test man woman boy girl
Since her arrest, she has been remanded in judicial custody by the Barasat Sessions Court. The court also asked that Pinki should undergo gender determination test, in order to be certain about her sex. Since her arrest, she has been lodged at Dum Dum Central Jail. It has been claimed that Pinki has had to tolerate "inhuman torture", both mental, as well as physical, during her stay at the jail.
pinki pramanik sex gender determination test male female organ
As the court could not be certain about Pinki's gender, the police kept Pinki at a separate cell as per the court's directive. However, it has been alleged that Pinki's cell is located within the male ward, thereby causing her considerable mental trauma. As her lawyer rightly pointed out, Indian law demands that an under-trial is presumed innocent till proven guilty. Based on this, Pinki's cell should not have been allotted within the male wards. pinki pramanik sex gender determination test male female organ Although, the private nursing home at Baguihati, where police had taken Pinki for getting a gender determination test done, had identified Pinki as male, the court did not accept this. Under the court's directive, Pinki had to undergo further rounds of tests, first at Barasat State Hospital and then at SSKM Hospital. Unfortunately, in both the cases, the teams of doctors could not arrive at a definite conclusion. The one test, which could have solved the riddle - the chromosome and hormone test - could not be conducted at Calcutta and so, her blood samples have been sent to institutes outside of West Bengal.
pinki partner During multiple rounds of gender determination tests, Pinki has been treated like a caged animal, put up for show in a zoo. Human rights activists have strongly criticized the “insensitive” handling of the case, resulting in the arrested athlete being repeatedly subjected to insult and public ridicule. The venue and the timings of the tests, have always been publicized beforehand, resulting in huge crowd gatherings at the designated hospitals to catch a glimpse of her. These crowds, at several points of time, have derided Pinki openly.
pinki pramanik sex gender determination test male female organ
"Man"handling of Pinki by the police
Picture Source: BBC World
Rights activists have also criticized the manner in which Pinki has been forced to expose herself repeatedly before male doctors. They further alleged that only male constables were escorting her and even they were behaving inappropriately at time, as the picture on the left side suggests. pinki molested Even worse, a 29 seconds MMS clip, showing the athlete completely nude and undergoing gender determination tests at the private Baguihati clinic has been uploaded over the Internet, and has gone viral in no time. Till I write this, police officials haven't even bothered to investigate this issue. Official statements from the department of police have pointed out that till a formal complaint is filed, they cannot do anything on their own. However, critics point out that police could have taken suo moto cognizance in the case and should have started an official investigation to nab the culprits responsible for recording and circulating the MMS. pinki pramanik sex gender determination test male female organ Pinki herself, told The Telegraph while coming out of SSKM, “I have never been harassed like this in my life. I feel so embarrassed... I can’t express my feeling!” pinki pramanik sex gender determination test male female organ Her father, Durgacharan Pramanik, also told The Telegraph, “People are gathering to watch her as if she is a caged animal. Even lawyers and policemen are making fun of my daughter. She has done so much for the nation. Does she deserve to be treated like this?” pinki pramanik sex gender determination test male female organ Activists and social workers have theorized that Pinki's rural family background and the lack of monetary resources, have emboldened the perpetrators in to believing that they will get away with impunity. They further contend that as Pinki's parents or direct family members are not in a position to strongly object to the inhuman treatment being dished out or as they are unable to take up cudgels on her behalf, the concerned persons have taken Pinki for a free ride. They also point out the social status of the so called "lower caste"Pramaniks as another contributing factor to Pinki's ordeal. pinki pramanik sex gender determination test male female organ Some people on the know of things related to the whole incident, have expressed their reservation over the original allegation of rape itself. It has been variously speculated that Pinki's troubles started when she refused to pay her female partner a specified amount, which the partner had demanded in return for vacating Pinki's flat. This refusal prompted the partner to file the charges against Pinki. They have also pointed out to the passage of more than two years of time, during which, the alleged victim did not raise the issue at all. pinki pramanik sex gender determination test male female organ Whatever may be the reason behind the complaint, the entire episode has highlighted that even in the twenty first century, the mentality of our people and society as a whole and even the protectors and upholders of law, i.e. the police force, are yet to change. It seems that we are caught in a time warp, and it will take more time and effort to leave our nineteenth century ideas and ideals behind us. pinki pramanik sex gender determination test male female organ The episode has also highlighted another dangerous trend, that of the treatment meted out to single woman, who would want to live life on their own terms. It shows the entire conservative society in a poor light and emphasizes that the society is yet to accept women as equal to men. pinki pramanik sex gender determination test male female organ Lastly, the episode has sounded a very timely alarm bell, that even today, the caste and clout matter a lot. Had Pinki been from a so called upper class background or had a wealthy family backing with urban upbringing, probably her ordeals would have been considerably lesser. That I have to write this in 2012, pains me a lot, but unfortunately, this is how the Indian system functions. pinki pramanik sex gender determination test male female organ No amount of legislation or fear of punishment can change the way Indian society treats its women members. Only a sustained effort at changing the perception of the society, which should start at the grassroots level and gradually move upwards, may bring about the positive change, that is so desired by the rights activists and victims alike. Till that happens, we may see many more Durgacharan Pramaniks asking helplessly, and with tear in their eyes,
