THE REDEMPTION…

The night is the darkest before the morning

Just when we had started losing hope that justice will be delivered, the news that 2 people have been arrested in the Manipal sexual assault case came like a silver lining on the darkest cloud. For seven days, the integrity of the Manipal fraternity hung in the balance of ‘investigations’, for seven days the wounds of a girl remain unattended as only justice could dress it, for seven days the manhood of every male on the campus was mocked for they could not dodge this attack on their colleague, for seven days the spirit of freedom that we keep boasting about, was chained to the floor and ‘sexually assaulted’ while we remained as silent as we could witnessing the reigns of the ‘system’ tighten around its ‘social animal’.

On 28^th June,2013 all the three accused(as identified by the police) in the Manipal assault case- Yogesh, Hariprasad and Anand were arrested by the police in a most dramatic manner. The chief culprit himself called the IGP western range Mr. Pratap Reddy and confessed his crime. He then tried to commit suicide. The police admitted him, poisoned to KMC, Manipal and as someone rightly commented, the doctors of the same institution whose student’s life he so ruthlessly trampled under his feet in a fit of lust, saved his life even after all the hatred that must be burning their insides. Sometimes I do feel that professionalism should be hanged from the noose for the sake of easily handling the broom, but alas! Such an act would be termed ‘unethical’ by the guardians of our system (not that I say they are wrong but the irony is striking!)

The State Government has indicated its plan to run the Manipal rape case in a fast-track court and ensure speedy justice. I will not go into the hassles of the flaws in the judiciary which permit a convict under speedy justice to apply to a higher court and rewind the whole process! Our trust in ‘our system’ has paid once and I am sure with careful planning and foresight we will be able to get better of thieves and rapists and fraudulent people.

I now speak to all my fellow Manipalites. Our role in this whole process now begins. It is up to us to make our friend feel at home, to not let dogmas guide our thought and actions. I do not ask you to show sympathy, I ask you empathize with our friend, not let her feel that things have changed, for in that the evil shall really win which we cannot afford. I ask you all to stay safe, to stay alert but I do not ask you to hold yourself back and hide, for in that will the evil really win. I know nothing can ever be the same but I still ask you ALL to resume your ‘pre-morbid’ lives in defiance of this assault for if we change our course, then the evil shall really win. Let those who think they can harm us stand witness that our spirit cannot be held in shackles. We will continue our march despite their ‘atrocities’ and ‘purge’ the world of their existence with the bluntest of permitted weapons at our disposal.

In the end, I would like to appreciate the bravery of our friend in raising her voice against the culprits and the police for concentrating their efforts and bringing these trespassers of humanity to justice. We all need to stand together in this hour of calamity and we must but for our own sake.

Contact info: vyom@manipalblog.com and mlore@manipalblog.com

Source: TOI and The Hindu