Rape in India

The rape and horrific murder of eight-year-old Asifa Bano in India-administered Jammu and Kashmir has shaken many in India. Just like in 2012, when a fatal gang rape in the national capital New Delhi shook the country, people are angry. But rather than focusing on the fact that a child was abused and murdered, the discussion appears to have taken a different turn. The matter has turned into a Hindu versus Muslim debate in the country.

It seems to be of utmost importance that the victim was a Muslim and the accused perpetrators Hindus. This is also the reason that right-wing Hindu groups like the Hindu Ekta Manch have come out in support of the suspected rapists and held protests in the state. It is also suggested that a couple of ministers from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party took part in these protests. And that is likely the reason why the Indian Government has failed to condemn the heinous crime. We hear neither any discussion about creating structures that could prevent such incidences in the future nor about improving the existing ones. An eye for an eye is being presented as the ultimate solution: you rape, we kill! Nothing will change in India if things continue in the direction they are going right now. The anger, outrage and indignation are not enough. We need schools, colleges, social organisations and even political parties to educate and sensitise civil society.