Indira Jaisingh Asks For Clemency For The 4 Convicted In Nirbhaya Case. I Disagree! I Want To See These Men Gone
I have been raised with a mentality where every time that I would end up doing something bad or stupid, something I shouldn’t have, I was subjected to a thorough sounding off at the hands of my mother, who for good reason instilled the feeling of fear in me, just so I would think twice before going down that road again. Be it as little as stealing a pencil to as big as lying and disrespecting anyone, the fact that I knew my mother wouldn’t approve and neither would my conscience, kept me grounded for most part of the life and I am glad. Because growing up, if there is one thing that I’ve realised, it is that people are gravely depraved of having a sound upbringing or a conscience in this country. This coming from a woman living in Delhi for the past 23 years, simply translates into the fact that even though we expect people to function the way we do and offer them the benefit of being human, there are simply enough people who just don’t care enough. And today, as Indira Jaisingh, a reputed lawyer begs for clemency for the Nirbhaya Rape Case accused, we know why that is.
Almost 7 years ago, on 16th December 2012, we saw mankind shed its humanity in one of the most brutal ways possible after Jyoti Singh was subjected to a gruesome beating and gang rape by 6 men in a bus in Delhi. An incident, that still sends a shiver down our spine even now, and if you’re a woman, keeps you on edge and alert for the rest of your life, was one that attracted national support and coverage. From rallies, to candle marches, to dharnas, the people of the country stayed angry for a while, until they didn’t anymore. And just like that, like any other rape case in India, the desperate need for justice simmered down as quickly as it had picked up. But not so much for the parents of Jyoti Singh, who not only lost their daughter to this appalling and inhuman incident, but also in these past 7 years lost a little bit of hope every passing day when the accused and guilty weren’t given what they deserved.
And just when justice seemed to have come around the corner, with the date for hanging the 4 accused in the rape and murder of Jyoti Singh having been announced, we were again left disappointed. Already, it feels like 7 years were 7 years too long and then to add salt to our raw wounds was smart alec Indira Jaysingh who is of the that leniency be extended to the people who ripped apart Nirbhaya. And you would see why that wouldn’t sit right with most of us.
Also Read : A Fresh Death Warrant Has Been Issued For The Nirbhaya Convicts And We Are Hoping There Are No More Delays
Going back to quote the time when Sonia Gandhi did not go through with the death penalty on Nalini Murugan who was convicted to have played a role in the assassination of her husband and former Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, Jaisingh conveniently equated the two very different situations at hand here and demanded for ‘forgiveness’ for the convicts.
While I fully identify with the pain of Asha Devi I urge her to follow the example of Sonia Gandhi who forgave Nalini and said she didn’t not want the death penalty for her . We are with you but against death penalty. https://t.co/VkWNIbiaJp
— Indira Jaising (@IJaising) January 17, 2020
Tweeting quite recently on the matter, she wrote, “While I fully identify with the pain of Asha Devi I urge her to follow the example of Sonia Gandhi who forgave Nalini and said she didn’t not want the death penalty for her. We are with you but against the death penalty.” And we are honestly unsure who the ‘we’ in her statement are. Not only did her tweet enrage us to our very core, for obvious reasons, it also held a mirror to the deeply disturbed and flawed mindset of the society, that has convinced itself to be okay to offer mercy to monsters.
We may not be directly related to Jyoti Singh in this narrative, but being a woman, I feel connected enough to feel appalled by her appeal, nonetheless. More so, because it requires us to forego a crime that left us sleepless for several nights. The fact that there are people in this society, learned lawyers for that matter, who are ready to pass along the opportunity to hang the criminals for a crime so gruesome, shows how little we care about serving justice or even driving change.
Come to think of it, the entire reason why rape crimes happen on the daily in our country is because people lack the fear of consequence. From once raping the victims and leaving them ravaged, to now killing them and burning them to cover their tracks, the perpetrators have only been enabled in all these years. And the reason is as simple as ever, because they know they’ll get away with it. First with the police and government failing the women, to now having lawyers plead to us to be considerate, we are annoyed at the audacity. As a woman, as a person, as a human, I want death for these men.
What a way to show allegiance to Mother Sonia Gandhi while trivialising the brutality Nirbhaya was subjected to, not to mention another Mother’s pain!
It is outrageously shameful that this call for forgiveness is coming from another woman, perhaps a mom herself (??)!Unbelievable— Rupa Murthy (@rupamurthy1) January 18, 2020
The very sermons of @IJaising to Asha Devi, Nirbhaya's mother to forgive rapists and quoting her Godmother SoniaG is bound to encourage rapists than deter them from such barbaric and insane acts. Pray her own do not fall victims to rapists : https://t.co/vzZUifxCKW
— RomeshNadir🇮🇳 (@RomeshNadir) January 18, 2020
And don’t get us wrong here, we acknowledge that claiming for the death penalty here might not stop rapists or even deter them, but the least it would do is come close to serving a punishment that fits the crime, and in our opinion, that is a start. By saying this, I don’t mean to insinuate the need for a capital punishment (even though it might be our best bet at invoking that sense of fear in rapists), but just that sometimes, the crime is too big to turn a blind eye to and definitely not the right occasion to endorse humanity. Not after one of us was beaten, gutted and raped repeatedly by 6 men.
People, including Indira Jaisingh here, need to understand that the issue is hand goes beyond showing that we are above all of this, because we aren’t. Asha Devi, the mother of Jyoti Singh sparked a statement in the same sentiment as she said, “The same people who had in the year 2012 gone around participating in rallies and raised slogans for women’s safety are playing with the death of my daughter for their political gains. They have stopped the execution for their political gains.” And it is disheartening to see how once again, political agendas have surpassed the need for justice.
Adding further, Asha Devi said, “Can’t believe how Indira Jaisingh even dared to suggest such this. I met her many times over the years in Supreme Court, not once did she ask for my well being and today she is speaking for convicts. Such people make a living by supporting rapists, hence rape incidents don’t stop. Who is Indira Jaising to give me such a suggestion? Whole country wants the convicts to be executed. Just because of people like her, justice is not done with rape victims.” And we agree. No more women have to be raped, ravaged and killed for the men in the country to realise that they can’t get away by doing it.
The 4 convicted will now be hanged on February 1 at 6 am and until then, we hope people like Indira Jaisingh realise how what they ask for isn’t making them human, this is justice.
