DELHI SHAMES AGAIN.......

Delhi has certainly shamed it's women again and the latest rape statistic is a forty year old woman who was gang raped in the capital's Shaheen Bagh area late on Saturday night early Sunday morning by the kidnapper and two male accomplices......


The victim and her elder sister were stationed outside a Gurgaon mall late on Saturday evening when they were approached by this gentleman (?) who offered them a lift home in his car.......

For reasons best known to them and numerous dire warnings to the contrary, the two ladies in question took this person who offered them a lift at face value and got into his car little knowing the gruesome fate that was soon to befall them......

Lo and behold, the elder sister soon found herself dumped unceremoniously outside the car in an anything but gentlemanly manner in the capitals' Okhla area while the younger sister was forcibly led to a flat in the Shaheen Bagh area where she was repeatedly raped and assaulted by the kidnapper and two more male accomplices......

A case has been registered by the Delhi police and four teams have been constituted to nab the assailants post haste based upon the descriptions provided to the Delhi police authorities by the hapless woman.....

Medical tests carried out on the victim have conclusively proved the occurrence of rape and only added to the already burgeoning rape statistics registered in the national capital between January and March 2013.........

Opportune time for the Delhi male and police to gird up their loins and assure the women on Delhi's streets about their safety, security and well being, what do you think????????

LOVE IT OR HATE IT..........

The much touted, tom tommed, eagerly anticipated and supposedly stringent anti rape law has failed to have any salutary or detrimental effect on wannabe rapists as one has just received extremely disturbing and heart rending reports about a 16 year old girl having allegedly been gang raped earlier today in the National Capital Region.......


A much watered down and almost toothless version of the anti rape law was passed by the house of elders yesterday afternoon after prolonged and extended deliberations; while no one can deny the fact that our politicians especially the male politicians chose to conveniently bypass over 80% of the recommendations made by the Justice J.S. Verma committee at the twin altars of political expediency and maintaining the hegemony of an archaic and decaying patriarchal system, the long awaited law is however not without its pluses and other noteworthy attributes......

This law which will now replace the existing anti-rape ordinance passed by the government of the day in February does provide for capital punishment if the act of rape or sexual assault either results in the death of the victim or then leaves her severely disabled or in a vegetative state for the rest of her natural life.......

It also accords rape the status of a gender specific law and belatedly recognises the fact that only a woman can be at the receiving end of the heinous and inhuman act and not vice versa; as senior Bharatiya Janata Party Venkaiah Naidu succinctly remarked,"I am yet to come across a single incident of a woman raping a man in my forty odd years of public life though I read about and come across numerous such crimes being perpetrated by males on a daily basis,"..........

Status quo has been maintained in the case of the minimum age of/for sexual consent, i.e. 18 continues to remain the minimum prescribed act for initiating consensual sex under the provisions of this new law and also sticks with the amendments made to the provisions or sections pertaining to the crimes of voyeurism and stalking by the members of the Lok Sabha.........

Like it, hate it, venerate it or abhor it, the fact of the matter is that we have to live with this law no matter whatever shape. size and form it has come to acquire, I was one of the teeming millions crying themselves hoarse demanding a stringent law that would ensure and sanctify the safety and security of women, I know that this law is far from satisfactory and definitely biased in favour of the abuser instead of the hapless victim.....

But, as noted human rights activist and advocate Vrinda Grover pithily remarked, "we can either keep nit picking about the aims and provisions of the law in it's present form or then accept it as a necessary evil and get on with the more serious business of exerting relentless pressure on the powers that be so that our valid concerns about the safety and security of womenfolk are assuaged and addressed," I for one have made peace with this law and renewed my efforts to keep up the relentless pressure on the government, what about you????

CRUDE, SEXIST AND HIGHLY OFFENSIVE.........

Most if not all of us witnessed the rather sorry and disgusting spectacle of many a male politician ridiculing the provisions of the new and supposedly stringent anti rape law, questioning it's provisions and raising apprehensions about it's use and validity, crude, sexist and highly offensive remarks were the order of the day and visibly cringing and discomfited women parliamentarians the end result.......


The Hyderabad for Change' facebook page and community initiative would like to accord you the golden opportunity of not only penning your free, frank and fearless thoughts on this fiasco and sorry spectacle but also that of venting your angst and spleen against the mindless antics of these public representatives with sixteenth century mindsets and thought processes........

So do make the most optimal use of this god sent opportunity and keep those thoughts, comments, opinions, suggestions and invaluable insights coming like a river in spate; let's show these relics from the past that they are indeed an anachronism in today's progressive and free thinking times and that we have had it up to here with their hollow utterances and self serving shenanigans......

We would all do well to remember the fact that doing our bit towards ushering in a climate of safety and security for the women of this glorious country is no longer a matter of choice but the crying need of the hour and times........

Our male politicians have let us down once again as is their wont and callous habit, let's not get dissuaded and disheartened but show the Indian women that we common menfolk or the much vilified Aam Aadmi's have nothing else other than their best interests at heart........

WELL BEGUN IS HALF DONE.........

Well begun is half done; and well prepared is more than half the battle won, team India will certainly do well to pay heed and a lot more besides before they embark upon the make or break tour to South Africa sometime in November this year.......


Team India has a far from sterling or awe inspiring record on South African soil and this extended tour does certainly provide them with a golden opportunity of making amends and setting the record straight once and for all; all it calls for is some astute planning, foresight and copious amounts of blood, sweat and tears........

BCCI mandarins and the team's think tank would do well by organising a three week long preparatory camp in the salubrious and bracing climes of Dharamshala as this is the only Indian city that comes closest to replicating the somewhat rarefied atmosphere of most South African grounds especially those in the high veld and boasts of the only pacer friendly surface in the country apart from Mohali........

Team India would do well to get Umesh Yadav as well as Varun Aaron fit and raring to go simply because they are the only two gentlemen in the country who are eminently capable of delivering the red cherry consistently at speeds in excess of 145 kmph and this exemplary quality will certainly prove to be worth it's weight in gold on the fast and furious South African pitches.........

The provision of a minimum of five to six bowling machines and a barrage of short pitched or then chin friendly balls delivered at breakneck speeds with the aid of these machines would be the next step in preparing our young batsmen for this rather arduous tour, the South Africans have already signalled their intentions of unleashing their fearsome pace battery on the seemingly hapless Indian batsmen and the very same would do well by being prepared for this onslaught by raw pace.......

Last but not the least, rope in the services of Messrs. Sunil Manohar Gavaskar, Mohinder Bharadwaj Amarnath, Dilip Balwant Vengsarkar and Rahul Sharad Dravid as these are the only four Indian batsmen to have handled the short ball with a modicum of comfort and aplomb in the last two decades and more, the youngsters in the Indian ranks would do well to pick the brains of these illustrious sons of the soil and therefore gain valuable insights into the art of facing a ball that gets up to your chin and even beyond with nauseating regularity........

Most people might call yours truly an alarmist and cite the fact that this tour is almost a good six months away, but the fact of the matter is that the Indian test team is not playing any test cricket between now and the beginning of the South African tour and a prolonged period of playing the shorter versions of the game day in and day out for the better part of six months is far from ideal preparation for a make or break tour......

Sorry for being rather rude and direct, but the fact of the matter is that we only have two choices; practice and prepare rather than repent and repair and the choice between the two is crystal clear as far as I am concerned........

TOUR TO SOUTH AFRICA..........

Change is the only constant and the world as we know it is in a state of constant flux; change is not necessarily a bad thing and needs to be accepted as an integral part of one's life journey......


Team India also happens to find itself in a state of flux right now, stalwarts like Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman have already announced their retirements from all forms of the game and Sachin Tendulkar's is just around the corner, Zaheer Khan is already in a semi retired state and Virender Sehwag is going to find making yet another comeback a herculean task for sure.........

Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan have allayed the fears regarding the opening partnership somewhat with their stellar displays against the once almighty Aussies, but let's put things in the right perspective, this is without a shadow of doubt, the weakest ever Australian team to have visited Indian shores since Kimberley John Hughes led his apology for a team on an Indian tour way back in 1979........

Peter Siddle and James Pattinson are the only bowlers who have looked like taking wickets and skipper Michael Clarke, Ed Cowan and Steve Smith are the only batsmen who look like getting any runs, so then one wonders what the hullabaloo is all about and why Messrs Vijay and Dhawan are being touted as team India's "new age saviours".........

Ravichandran Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha are not even a patch on their far more illustrious predecessors, they can certainly snare wickets on designer pitches at home, but the million rupee question is whether or not they will be able to replicate their success on the anything but spin friendly conditions in both South Africa and New Zealand that team India is going to be confronted with in the very near future........

Ishant Sharma not only seems to have lost his pace, incisiveness, wicket taking ability, but zest for the game, Bhuvneshwar Kumar can certainly swing the new ball around and make it talk, but has still to prove himself with a semi-new as well as relatively old and thus much softer ball...........

Former team India opener and present day Bengal team coach Woorkeri Venkat Raman certainly seems to have hit the nail on the head with his timely suggestion about sending a team for an "A" tour a couple of months before the eventual test tour of South Africa slated for the months of November/December.........

This "A" team could be led by Virat Kohli as he is already being touted as the team India's next test captain and comprise of such talented youngsters such as Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Ambati Rayudu, Manoj Tiwari, Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron, and Parvez Rasool to name just a few........

These youngsters will not only get the golden opportunity of acclimatising themselves to the seam and swing bowling friendly conditions in South Africa but also serve up a timely reminder to the selectors about their mettle, potential and true worth.......

Will, the BCCI mandarins pay heed to Raman's invaluable suggestion and go about finalising the modalities of such a tour or will team India land in South Africa five to six days before the advent of the serious business of playing test cricket in alien conditions and get beaten black and blue as has been the case more often than not in the past; well your guess in this regard is as good as mine........

HORROR IN AGRA..........

Law or no law, stringent law or then an apology for a stringent law, the madness that seems to have afflicted the Indian male off late continues unabated......


In the latest incident, a 35 year old British national suffered a broken leg, multiple bruises and other superficial injuries while jumping off the balcony of her first/second floor hotel room in Agra in an attempt to escape from the sexual advances made by her by the owner of the same hotel......

The woman in question a British national had arrived in the country almost a week back and was slated to visit quite a few tourist destinations such as Delhi, Agra, Varanasi, Haridwar and so on and so forth during her stay in the country........

She had checked into the Agra Mahal hotel in the city's Rakab Ganj area two days back and was slated to proceed to Varanasi early this morning and had even requested the hotel authorities to wake her up at 5 am in this regard........

To her horror and dismay, the manager of the very same hotel unceremoniously barged into her room at around 3:45 am on the pretext of offering her a complimentary complete body massage, but left when the lady politely but firmly refused his offer.......

She had just recovered from this rude intrusion and just about gathered her senses when she was disturbed by incessant and loud knocking on her hotel door and repeated summons from the hotel owner and a security guard repeating the massage offer made by the manager around 15-20 minutes earlier........

Fearing for her life and safety, the plucky lady jumped off her room's balcony; somehow managed to find an autorickshaw at that unearthly hour and make her way to the nearest police station, the lady was rushed to the Agra civil hospital where tests confirmed that she had indeed broken one of her legs.........

A complaint has been duly registered by the Agra police authorities based upon the version of events narrated by the woman and an attempt to rape and attempt at outraging the modesty of a woman related cases have been filed against the hotel owner Sushil Chauhan who is said to be a Delhi resident........

The wannabe rapist now finds himself cooling his heels in a police lock up and the subject of a police investigation, his ultimate outcome will however be decided by the fast track court before which the case is soon expected to come up for hearing........

Other hotel owners in the area have lamented the fact that such misdeeds will only sound the death knell for an already beleaguered and long suffering hotel industry, 'tourists are already wary of stepping into our country thanks to the advisories issued by their embassies and governments about India being an unsafe country for foreign tourists, such unfortunate incidents will only serve to reinforce this belief and further reduce the number of tourists trickling into the country,' one of them candidly remarks on condition of anonymity............

THE SAGA CONTINUES..........

The much anticipated and awaited anti rape law is finally all set to see the light of the day; this controversial and divisive bill will be tabled in the parliament later today and will provide some sense of safety and security to India's battered women even though it is much watered down and without quiet a few teeth and sting.......


One should always try and look at the brighter side of things as noted advocate and women's rights activist Vrinda Grover says, "there are two ways of looking at this proposed bill, you can either look at it as an half empty glass or then one that is half full," she goes on to add.........

"As far as I am concerned, this bill is a culmination of thirty years of relentless struggle, thirty years of unceasing efforts to give the Indian woman the honour and dignity that is her birthright and due, I am the first one to agree that this bill does not address all our long standing concerns, but it is a starting point and other issues that are pending can be addressed in due course,", Ms. Grover goes on to say........

Yes, certain sections of the bill have been watered down in the name of political expediency and unanimity, but, the government of the day did not have too much elbow room as it does not have an absolute majority and is therefore dependent on the support of other political parties to see this bill through.........

The arm of the government was further twisted by the fact that this session of parliament comes to an end on March 22 and more importantly the validity of the ordinance that is now being converted into a law would have expired on April 4, hence the government had little or no choice apart from going with the flow and taking on board the concerns of all comers in order to ensure that this proposed bill did not go the way of the one on reservations for women in both houses of parliament.....

18 still continues to be the age for the initiation of consensual sex and there will only be graded punishments for offences such as voyeurism and stalking, deletion of the term "persistent watching" and a concise and more stringent definition of the term "disrobing a woman wither in public or then private view" are some of the concessions that the government of the day has had to make in order to evolve some sort of consensus on the same.....

Provisions relating to the 'chain of command' or punishing a senior officer for the sexual offences committed by his juniors or subordinates, 'marital rape' or then rape within the supposedly sacrosanct boundaries of marriage and such other provisions related to offences of a sexual nature committed by men in uniform under the protection of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act have failed to find a mention in the bill in it's present form.........

While, the concerns of many a womenfolk on acid attacks and brutal assault either preceding or then in the aftermath of a rape also have not been satisfactorily addressed; one can either continue to nitpick and keep finding fault with the contents and intentions of this long awaited bill and then look at it as some kind of starting point that does make an earnest effort towards addressing the long standing concerns of India's women no matter in a limited and seemingly tame manner.........

As the wise one's who preceded us said, "KABHI KISI KO MUKAMMAL JAHAAN NAHIN MILTA," you just have to make do with whatever comes your way, make the optimum use of the same and get on with the business of living...........

JOLLY LLB.........

Jolly LLB is far from being a stereotypical Hindi comedy, yes it does have it's fair share of intentional goof ups; like appeal being spelt as 'apple' and prosecution being misspelled as 'prostitution' thanks to the educational and vocational back ground of lawyer Jagdish Tyagi aka "Jolly".........


Hailing from the small town from Meerut in Uttar Pradesh and equipped with a law degree from the law college in the same city, Jolly (Arshad Warsi) constantly nurses fond dreams of making it big and enjoying more than his fifteen seconds of name and fame in the media spotlight, all he needs is that one elusive case that will make him a household name........

Jolly's office is nothing more than a humble ramshackle desk under the blue skies and his love interest Amrita Rao (a modern day sprightly and opinionated school marm), his sounding board and conscience keeper all rolled into one; Jolly keeps stumbling from one disaster to the other until the "big case' that he has so earnestly awaited falls into his lap like a bolt from the blue.......

Enter super successful lawyer and Jolly's idol (?) Tejinder Rajpal (Boman Irani) who is not averse to twisting and manipulating the law as long as he gets his guilty as sin client whose land cruiser has cruelly run over six homeless peasants off the hook literally by hook or by crook........

Lo and behold, an eyewitness appears seemingly out of thin air, Jolly files a Public Interest Litigation and like they say, the rest is history; his bumbling personage, inadvertent ability to end up putting his foot in his mouth more often than not and penchant for rubbing the trial court judge adroitly played by Saurabh Shukla ever so often not only makes his personage believable, but oh so likeable and lovable......

The film does tend to meander somewhat in the first half, but the second half is a director's dream; what with it's electrifying pace, crackling chemistry between the leading protagonists and the underlying conflict between the courage of convictions and making a mickey of the law.........

Jolly works because it holds out the hope that the common man can triumph against seemingly insurmountable odds, machinations, evil designs, manipulations and money power as long as believes in decency, courage of convictions, ideals and the dictum that the truth always triumphs come what may..........

A resounding two thumbs up to this thought provoking caper that certainly has it's heart, soul and a lot more besides in the right place, welcome back Arshad Warsi, Jolly is certainly your most memorable character after 'Circuit' and 'Babban', credit is also due to Boman Irani for not reducing his evil character to a caricature and making it believable and oh so roguish.........

The advent of directors like Abhishek Kapoor, Anurag Kashyap, Bijoy Nambiar, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Subhash Kapoor and a few others does certainly augur well fot the future, these directors are making films that they believe in, cinema that is believable, tells a story, narrates the tale of the triumph of the common man and his dreams and most importantly makes us believe that the aam aadmi can certainly 'win' as long as he does not compromise with his ideals, beliefs and take alluring short cuts vis a vis the long and arduous path of truth and ultimate triumph........

Rating: 4/5.........Duration: 2 hours 10 minutes......

A word of caution will certainly not be remiss, this movie might not prove to be your cup of tea unless you are fond of courtroom dramas or sagas with a moral twist and dose of earthy wisdom.........

DOOMED TO FAIL????

As widely anticipated and expected, the proposed Anti rape legislation has seemingly hit a roadblock even before it comes up for consideration before an all party delegation on Monday March 18, 2013..........


Samajwadi Party sources are candid about the fact that their party will never ever allow the bill to be passed in it's present form and shape as the anti voyeurism, stalking and disrobing of women in public provisions are completely anti men and can be misused against men, "this bill will end up changing the very face of Indian society and even accord the Indian woman a more dominant status," as one of them said........

In what has come as a pleasant surprise for the government of the day and ardent supporters of the proposed stringent anti rape legislation, Bahujan Samaj Party Supremo Behen Mayawati has thrown her lot behind this legislation, my party members will unstintedly support this new law and vote in favour of it whenever it is presented before parliament she is supposed to have said; we will give our suggestions and views on the bill during the course of the all party meeting, she added........

Certain sections of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Chairperson of the National Commission for Women have stridently opposed the clause pertaining to the lowering of the age of consent for consensual sex to 16 from the present 18, they have voiced their opposition to this clause as the same would only end up corrupting the minds and souls of young Indians and lead to numerous teenage pregnancies in their informed opinion........

The fact that the current session of parliament is drawing to a close on March 22 is causing the high and mighty within the government ranks many a sleepless night, this ordinance will automatically lapse if the government fails to place the proposed anti rape law before the parliament on or before March 22 and the entire process will once again have to be initiated from scratch, government sources are believed to have said..........

One only hopes that better sense prevails during the course of the all party meeting on this much debated and eagerly awaited legislation, this bill will certainly do a lot towards making the cities and it's streets a lot safer for the long suffering womenfolk if it is passed and implemented in the manner that it ought to be implemented.......

THE SHAME CONTINUES........

Hyderabad's cab and auto drivers sure seem to be becoming a law unto themselves, the city had just about recovered from the Nikhil More and schoolgirl incidents when yet another cab driver decided to chance his luck and molest a 31 year old morning walker in the Cyberabad police limits........


This is the second such incident to have occurred within the Cyberabad police limits within a span of a little over three weeks and once again highlights the fact that Hyderabad is anything but a safe city for women out on the streets all by themselves or then in the company of one or two of their fellow beings........

B. Saritha, a manager with Novartis Pharma Health Care was out for her routine morning walk at 6:30 am on Thursday morning in the vicinity of Ramky Towers in Raidurgam with her friend and co- walker Shivani Gupta keeping her company as always when the desperate Dots Cab driver Irfan Kaleemuddin stealthily approached them from behind and mad a furtive attempt at grabbing and groping Saritha.......

The lady in question kept her wits about her and raised a hue and cry hearing which a few alert locals including a news paper delivery boy came to her aid, these good samaritans caught hold of this wannabe lothario, soundly thrashed him and then handed him over to the police personnel who had arrived on the scene from the nearby police picket.......

In his defence, the accused cab driver said that he did not deliberately grab the woman's hand, but only made an attempt to reach out for help as he was feeling dizzy and about to faint, but the passersby and the alleged victim negated his claims and said that his actions were well thought out and deliberate.......

A case has been registered against the accused cab driver by the local police under section 354 (assault or use of criminal force to a woman with the express intent of outraging her modesty) of the Indian Penal Code, the culprit was later produced before the designated court and the same has remanded him to judicial custody.........

Such incidents only make one wonder why Hyderabad which has always enjoyed the reputation of being a relatively safe haven for it's womenfolk, is well on it's way to becoming a veritable hell hole for them, are the menfolk of the city being inspired by the so called "macho" deeds of their male counterparts in the other parts of the country, or then do they want to show the rest of the country that they are indeed second to none when it comes to the issue of showing their supposed superiority and dominance over the so called weaker sex.........

Whatever happened to your tall claims about Hyderabad being the safest city of them all for it's womenfolk, Mr. Chief Minister and Police Commissioner?????

DELAYED START...........

Unseasonal, incessant rain, a sopping wet outfield and the benevolence of the rain gods have all colluded to indefinitely delay the start of the much awaited third test match between India and Australia at the picturesque Punjab Cricket Association Grounds in Mohali.........


Pools of water and a seemingly England like ambience greeted the commentators, both teams and match officials when they arrived at the ground this morning one and a half hours before the scheduled start of play and with more rains forecast for the remaining part of the day, the possibility of the first day's play being a complete washout does certainly loom large above the horizon.........

The loss of one whole day's play might severely dent team India's plan off pinning a seemingly disoriented and disarrayed team Australia on the mat and also put paid to it's fond hopes of a series whitewash; one also feels sorry for one Shikhar Dhawan who has long been awaiting the opportunity of donning team India's test colours........

With the meteorological department predicting more of the same weather for tomorrow, this test seems to be heading towards a dull and predictable draw, but as many a wise man learnt to his detriment, making predictions about the ultimate outcome of any cricket match might just see us eating our words.......

WISDOM DAWNS AT LAST.........

Thank the good lord for small mercies, the empowered group of minsters in all it's collective wisdom has taken the bold decision of lowering the age of consent to 16 years from the present 18 and uphold the definition of 'rape' as a crime against women........


Conforming to the recommendations made by the Justice J.S. Verma committee, the group of ministers also decided to stick their necks out and include first time offences like voyeurism, stalking and public disrobing of a woman within the ambit of the new draft of the proposed bill, the group of ministers also adressed the concern of bleeding hearts by severely restricting the scope for misuse of the bill by segregating rape from the other sexual offences.......

Voyeurism will now be a bailable offence, while stalking or following a woman without her approval or consent and disrobing a woman in public shall be non bailable offences , the bill will be put up for approval before the cabinet on Thursday, March 14, 2013 and the cabinet approval is now being considered nothing more than a mere formality.......

The real test of the government will be during the course of the all party meeting slated for Monday March 18, 2013 and both houses of parliament subsequent to the all party meeting, informed sources within government circles have already hinted at the strident disapproval of the two parties supporting or propping up the government from outside namely the Samajwadi and Bahujan Samaj Party........

While, the principal opposition party, the Bharatiya Janata party is already on record about certain provisions of the proposed law being a little too draconian, strident and forward looking in it's opinion; "the proposed law seems to be an attempt to usher in modernistic Scandinavian sexual tendencies and behaviours in a largely medieval and patriarchal society," as a senior party leader acerbically remarked........

With the cards stacked against it, astute political and floor management on the part of the government is a given, the most adroit course of action for the government will be to assuage the concerns of both the Bharatiya Janata Party as well as left parties with regard to the contents and provisions of the new revamped Anti Rape Law and get all these parties on board in order to ensure the smooth passage of this eagerly awaited legislation through both houses of parliament.......

Failure of the government to do so will only result in a prolonged logjam and mutual recrimination and the women of the country certainly do not want the bill being put in cold storage and taking the long and cumbersome select committee route, or then do they???????

YET ANOTHER MEETING........

Yet another day, yet another meeting to decide the ultimate fate, shape and contents of the eagerly anticipated anti rape law; only difference being that a select group of ministers led by Mr. P. Chidambaram will be debating the same with the damocles sword of a fast approaching deadline hanging over their heads........


Mr. Chidambaram on his part had said that "eighty percent of the contents and provisions of the bill have already been decided upon, the sticking points are the remaining twenty percent, we will have extensive decisions on the same and send the revised draft to the cabinet for consideration latest by Thursday, March 14, 2013,".......

Honestly, Mr. Chidambaram and his fellow ministers have little or no choice apart from meeting these tight deadlines as the government has called for an all party meeting to discuss this very same bill on the 18th of March and this session of parliament comes to an end on March 22........

Informed sources have already let the cat out of the bag and confirmed the long held speculation about the UPA's two support bases the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party being vehemently opposed to this bill, the very same sources went on to say that the two party supremos have already informed the government that this bill is simply not acceptable to them in it's present form........

Bharatiya Janata Party spokespersons are also on record saying the party is of the informed opinion that certain provisions of the anti rape law are extremely draconian and will not go down well with the sensibilities of a patriarchal and mostly medievalistic society........

One only hopes that the government of the day, it's supporting as well as opposing parties are able to set aside their differences and arrive at some sort of consensus or common meeting ground or this bill may also end up going the way of the women's reservation bill that is yet to see the light of the day and come up for debate in the Lok Sabha despite having been passed by the upper house many moons ago........

UNCEASING WAIT.............

The wait for the much anticipated and awaited revised sexual offences and crimes against women bill just got that much longer despite the central cabinet holding two meetings in order to reach a common meeting point and evolve a consensus on the contentious issues and sticking points.......


Differences about the adoption of the adoption and incorporation of the women specific term "rape" instead of the gender neutral 'sexual offences' continue to be the bone of contention between the law and home ministries, while the ministry for women's welfare and child development has serious reservations about lowering the age of consent for consensual sex to 16 from the present 18.........

A few other cabinet ministers have their own axe to grind with the definitions of the terms 'stalking', 'voyeurism', and 'marital rape' as envisaged under this proposed legislation and the union law minister Ashwani Kumar has gone as far as venturing the opinion that the provisions pertaining to 'voyeurism' could prove to be a handy tool in the hands of unscrupulous women and add considerably to the woes of hapless men who have been at the receiving end of complaints of a sexual or violent nature.......

Sources in the know of things have let the cat out of the bag and said that the union finance minister is of the opinion that certain sections of this proposed law/s are a little too stringent for his liking and need to be tweaked further to ease their stringency, while Mr. Kapil Sibal is of the informed view that the proposed law is too 'loosely drafted' and will not bear or stand up to judicial scrutiny........

As things stand, a select group of minsters has been entrusted with the onerous responsibility of giving this long awaited legislation a concrete shape and structure and are expected to formalise this bill within the next week or so; the law minister's statement about the government of the day being committed to tabling this bill in the present session of parliament is the only crumb of comfort at the present moment......

Can the unsuspecting public take the union minister at face value and accept his statement with the proverbial pinch of salt considering the past track record of this government and it's avowed tendency to prevaricate and procrastinate every time it comes to making a much desired change on the ground, well, that indeed is the million rupee question.........

WOMEN POLICE STATIONS........

Instances of women who dare to venture into male dominated police stations to register sexual harassment cases being asked disconcerting and embarrassing questions that not only make them cringe and wonder why they ventured into this torture chamber in the first place, have been reported through all avenues of the media times without end.........


What is even more galling is the fact that the powers that be show no signs of addressing this increasingly contentious issue and making the existing police stations more fairer sex friendly by setting right the gaping or glaring gender divide within the police force and recruiting women police personnel on a priority basis.......

Government after government has held out hollow reassurances about stationing at least one woman police constable in every existing police station but these promises and empty reassurances are yet to show signs of fructifying on the ground, women continue to cringe, curse their fate and wondering whether it is a crime to be born as a woman thanks to the apathy and indifference of the powers that be........

Figures don't lie and the figures in the case of our home state i.e. Andhra Pradesh are shocking to say the very least; the whole of Hyderabad and Cyberabad police commissionerates boast of a measly three female or police stations out of the 120 odd in existence at the present moment........

The state has only 2,031 women police officers as against Maharashtra's 20,062, the total strength of women personnel at the respective police stations in the city stands at a measly 120 and this glaring shortage of women police personnel is increasingly traumatising sexual harassment victims who always prefer to speak to a female police officer as they find them to be more forthcoming and sympathetic.........

There are only two ways out of this imbroglio and rather sorry state of affairs, the first is to recruit women police officers on a priority basis and fill up the existing vacancies of women police personnel as soon as possible and the second is to educate and enlighten the male police officers about how to be sympathetic and friendly towards hapless females who venture into police stations to register complaints that are of a sexual nature..........

As the first option seems to be a mirage considering the precarious financial health of the government of the day, the second seems to be the more feasible and easily implementable option, will the police higher ups initiate remedial measures and start gender sensitisation classes immediately or will women continue to experience this harrowing and humiliating experience every time they summon up the courage to venture into a neighbouring police station, well the jury is still out on that one........

SELF DEFENCE CLASSES.........

Hyderabad's flustered, harried, hapless and seemingly defenceless women have decided to take matters in their own hands and resort to pepper sprays and self defence classes instead of subjecting themselves to the vagaries of an uncaring and unresponsive system that has let them down times without end......


Enlightened employers and corporate have seen the writing on the wall and risen to the occasion; they are not only equipping their female employees with Mace, pepper sprays and other such deterrents, but also providing trustworthy escorts for those women employees who go back home by company provided transportation in the late hours of the night or wee hours of the morn.......

Bulk suppliers of pepper sprays and the like have been the biggest beneficiary in the bargain and are stretching every sinew in an effort to replenish their diminishing and depleted stocks as quickly as possible in the rosy hope of accumulating and earning a pretty penny........

The very same employers have not topped at these measures, but also initiated and started both short term as well as detailed self defence courses in addition to the one's mentioned above; a multi national firm recently organised a "Krav Managa" (Israeli self defence system) session involving all it's female employees..........

"This session was almost exclusively devoted to incapacitating an assailant who took us unawares from behind, the session did wonders for our confidence and arose within us the confidence that we can protect both ourselves as well as other women when the occasion arises," a female employee goes on to say on condition of anonymity........

Women employees felt that they were left with little choice other than becoming their own protectors and defenders in the face of a system that could neither provide them with the desired levels of safety and security nor reassure them about the fact that all such instances would be clamped down upon with an iron hand.........

" Such unpleasant occurrences and instances are rapidly increasing rather than decreasing despite the government's false reassurances and hollow sounding claims to the contrary, and we are of the unanimous opinion that we need to start giving back as good as we get if we have to safeguard ourselves from the roving eye and ignoble intentions of these male marauders," these doughty women conclude..........

ELUSIVE CONSENSUS..........

The union cabinet despite all it's homilies, platitudes and hollow reassurances in this regard, failed to arrive at a consensus over the contents of the draft Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill-seeking to reintroduce the contentious word "rape" in place of the gender neutral sexual assault that is in vogue at present in the proposed stringent rape law...........


What is even more ironical is the fact that the cabinet failed to resolve it's differences on a day where a 19 year old young woman alleged that she was firstly taken to a secluded place and then repeatedly raped in the same auto that she had boarded along with three other male occupants in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad district........

And a 32 year old multi national company executive was brutally assaulted and raped in the company vehicle that she used to moved around in on a daily basis by the cab's driver and a male colleague; FIR's have been registered in both cases but the culprits were yet to be apprehended by the police when reports last came in........

Differences emerged between various cabinet ministers on replacing the present gender neutral sexual assault with the woman specific or centric word "rape" as suggested by the justice Verma committee in it's report and differences also cropped up on the controversial issue of lowering the minimum age of consensual sex to 16 from the present 18 according to informed sources........

The very same sources also confirmed the facts that the law ministry has expressed it's serious apprehensions and misgivings about the home ministry's draft that replaces 'sexual assault' with 'rape', while the ministry of women and child development is proving to be the biggest impediment in lowering the minimum age for consensual sex to 16 from the present 18.........

A consensus has to be reached at any cost given the fact that this bill has to stand both the intense scrutiny of parliament as well as the eagle eye of the judiciary; the draft is likely to undergo major changes and be brought before the cabinet in it's refurbished and revamped avatar in the very near future, these sources added.......

Law minister Ashwani Kumar on his part strongly refuted all reports of differences of opinion amongst the cabinet ministers and attributed the undue delay to the fact that the bill was yet to assume a concrete shape and structure as the same was yet being framed by the union home ministry...........

"The thoroughly revamped and amended bill will soon be placed before the cabinet," the minister went on to say; it may worth be remembering here the fact that the ordinance making the proposed anti rape law far more stringent and potent was promulgated by the president on February 3, 2013.........

Informed sources also opined that though hectic consultations to fine tune the contents of this far reaching bill were on between the mandarins of various ministries, it was a given that the home ministry's informed opinion about the usage of the word 'rape' in place of the term 'sexual assault' would definitely prevail in the ultimate analysis........

SON, WHAT WILL YOU BECOME..........

A song dedicated to my favourite all time sport; CRICKET, I am an unabashed music lover and hope that the same holds good for you too........




Ever since I was a lad of one,

I've been plagued by this question-

"Son tell me what you want to be

when you've grown as tall as me?"



But ever since I was so big, or say small,

I've been good with the bat and ball,

And it never occurred to me

That there's a world beyond the boundary.



So, when asked by men, fool or wise,

off I shoot out my reply,

I smiled and I added, "Sir,

I want to be a cricketer",



Some laughed 'n said, with a sweep of hand,

'You're a kid of ten; you don't understand,

When you grow old and mature,

You'll be able to answer me, I am sure.'



I grew old and I was fifteen,

When I was asked to choose my studying stream,

I picked maths and science, and well, I did well,

But cricket still had me under it's spell.

So when asked again what I wanted to be,

I said what I said at ten and three,

'You may laugh; it's your wish, Sir,

but I want to be a cricketer.'



Some scratched the head and some shook theirs,

Said, 'one must be a doctor or an engineer,

Don't talk like a fool, you know not yet,

Cricket won't bring you money or respect.'



I raised my brow and let out a breath,

And wondered if I could explain them fat heads,

That I must follow my dreams, follow my heart,

As 'the road less travelled' was beyond them smarts.



So I played on and scored many a ton,

And many a match, with my bat I won,

And I graduated too, just for back up,

Though my heart was still with the cricket cup.



And now that I am twenty three,

Sirs still tell me, what I should be,

But before they begin, I tell 'em what they'll say,

'You must do an MBA'.



And thank god, I am saved from the boring speech,

When I see the opener's caught-I bat at three,

I say, 'I must take your leave, sir,

For I am a cricketer.'



Ever since I was so big or say small,

I've been good with the bat and ball

And it never occurred to me

That there's a world beyond the boundary.

FINES FOR ERRING BABUS..........

Be it on account of a rapidly approaching general election, strident and vociferous criticism from the opposition benches or then on account of a rapidly growing perception amongst the urban populace about this being the weakest, most ineffectual and corrupt government ever; the Manmohan Singh led government has off late being sending out signals of having gotten it's act right at long last........


The latest in a series of initiatives to make the burgeoning bureaucracy and sarkari babus more responsive and officious towards the plight of the aam aadmi is a bill providing time bound delivery of services such as pensions, passports, caste certificates, death certificates, ration cards, tax refunds and do on and so forth.......

This draft bill which is expected to be placed before parliament later today will also contain provisions of penalising and punishing errant and truant officials with fines ranging from a minimum of Rs.250 per day and a maximum of Rs. 50,000/- in cases of repeated and chronic defaults in the timely delivery of required and necessary services.........

Entitled the "right of citizens for time-bound delivery of goods and redressal of Grievances Bill", the same is slated to be enacted under the concurrent list thereby guaranteeing the fact that the states will have no other choice apart from offering the entire gamut or range of services listed or contained in the centre's citizen charter.....

Highly placed government sources inadvertently let the cat out of the bag by acerbically remarking that this proposed bill is nothing more than a belated effort towards deflating the wind out off the anti corruption crusader Shri Anna Hazare's sails and take credit for passing a citizen friendly bill originally envisaged and drafted by Shri Anna Hazare and his bunch of dedicated followers.......

Certain provisions of the very same bill allow or empower both a state as well as a central government redressal commission to refer or bring forth before the Lokpal a case for criminal investigation or enquiry if the said commission arrives at the conclusion that there is enough evidence of corruption and deliberate delays in the timely dispensation of the above mentioned services........

One only hopes that this long overdue initiative does not go the way of other such citizen friendly initiatives that precluded it, most if not all of us are aware of the undeniable and concrete fact that these very same sarkari babus are a law unto themselves at the best of times and will certainly do their best to scuttle a bill that is likely to hit them where it hurts the most if implemented sagaciously.........

BE A HERO............

Women's day is just around the corner and the Hyderabad for Change' facebook page and community initiative would like to take this opportunity of showing Hyderabad's women that we menfolk do indeed care for them and share their safety and security related concerns........


Who is a hero, one who gallivants in the rain with his lady love, bashes up twenty goons single handedly or then a man who is undemonstrative yet caring, deeply perturbed by the increasing instances of crimes against women yet unobtrusively doing his bit to make a lasting and telling difference, each one of you needs to make up his mind in this regard.......

One doesn't need weapons of mass destruction and the latest gadgets on the block in order to be a hero, but just the courage of conviction to take a stance on a particular issue and stand by the very same come what may; you just need to listen to your heart's voice and find your inner calling.........

My heroes, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Mohinder Amarnath and Shri Anna Hazare to name just a few did not possess adonis like physiques, rippling muscles, weapons and gadgets, but have still left indelible impressions on the sands of time with their inherent courage, sheer determination and ability to remain steadfast in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds......

Be a hero, take up cudgels on the behalf of our long suffering womenfolk, usher in a sense of perestroika and glasnost about their safety and security, raise your voice against any and every wrongdoing and make sure that you are not the problem but an integral part of a lasting solution to a long standing problem.......

Share your stories of bravery and valour with us, narrate instances of your taking up cudgels on behalf of your mothers, sisters, female friends, compatriots and colleagues, we in turn will share the same around on any and every platform and avenue available to us and make sure that these stories and profiles in courage emerge as a starting point and inspiration for others to follow in their wake.......

Let's once and for all put paid to this widely held perception about men being the perpetrators of injustice against the fairer sex and usher in a Rennaisance in both our collective thinking and actions as well..........

SHARED CABS:BOON OR BANE??????

Cabs or more specifically shared cabs have for long been the lifeline of many a harried woman employee who has to wend her way back from her workplace after a long and harrowing work day, rapidly increasing instances of sexual attacks and molestation bids have however put the spotlight on these very same cabs and questions are now being raised about this supposed lifeline being a huge security risk...........


Hundreds of such cabs can be seen ferrying women to and fro on a daily basis, but what is a cause of acute concern for the authorities is the fact that there are an estimated 1,500 illegal and unregulated shared cabs in existence and what is even more worrying is the fact that over 30% of the passengers who commute by such cabs happen to be women........

These very same cabs have almost become a lifeline for many a harried employee thanks to the pitiable and virtually non existent public transport system in far flung areas; these vehicles which are expressly meant to ferry the employees of companies that they are attached to can often times be seen plying other folks from destination to destination in their spare or free time..........

Faced with unduly long delays and endless waiting for public transport many an employee of IT and software companies situated in relatively far fling areas do not even think twice before jumping into these cabs that charge anything between Rs. 15 to Rs. 40 from their passengers depending upon the distance travelled........

It is not as if we are unaware of these very same cabs being a threat to our safety and security, we are also aware of the fact that these cabs often have two men or more in them at the best of times, but the absence of public transport leaves us with little or no choice in this regard a few women employees go on to say.......

Organisations employing the services of such cabs say that they are not unaware of the seemingly unlawful activities of the cabs and drivers hired by them, we have dismissed five such errant drivers from service over the last two months and do unfailingly initiate action whenever such an instance is brought to our notice, they point out.......

As is their wont, the police force squarely lays the blame for plying by such cabs on the shoulders of the people using them; we have repeatedly warned the female employees of these companies and asked them to refrain from using such dubious modes of transportation they say, but also hold out some kind of hope for the future by saying that they have decided to summon a meeting of all such cab owners and drivers.......

"A stern warning will be issued to all such people and they will be direly warned about the consequences of indulging in such illegal activities", the police sources conclude.....

All one can say in conclusion is that warning or not, harried women employees will continue to use such modes of conveyance in the absence of other alternatives, the best one can do when faced with a Hobson's choice such as this is to board the cab with a prayer on one's lips and keep the pepper spray, chilli powder and trusty pocket knife ready for action at very short notice..........

LITANY OF COMPLAINTS...........

Hundreds of schoolgirls belonging to various schools spread across the length and breadth of Hyderabad have now decided to voice their concerns about the treatment meted out to them by errant bus conductors employed by the APSRTC and petition the police and APSRTC higher ups in this regard..........


More than 200 girl students belonging to one school in the older areas of the city have decided to come together on a common platform and draft a petition and a slew of letters addressed to both the commissioner of police as well as the managing director of the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation.......

These letters will narrate our litany of woes in explicit detail and highlight the shame and humiliation that we are subjected to on a daily basis by these unrepentant and incorrigible conductors, one of the students drafting these letters goes on to say, these letters are being addressed to the higher authorities as our complaints to the local police station have been both disregarded and summarily dismissed.........

We not only have to put up with the derisive, highly objectionable and sexist remarks of the conductors but also bear the brunt of the local police authorities callous indifference and utter disdain towards our plight, now sample this as a sterling example of the police's disdain towards their plight; "Is it really possible for a bus conductor to beat up a schoolgirl and push her out of a moving bus in broad daylight", Bahadurpura sub Inspector of police Veera Babu counter questions........

"The complaints filed by the girls were too general in nature and did not give details about the offending bus conductor and this is why the police could not initiate any action whatsoever on the girl's complaint", he adds and even goes on to challenge the veracity and authenticity of these very same complaints........

The higher ups have however not shown scant regard for these slew of complaints and assured the long suffering girls that suitable action will be initiated against the culprits; "all we need is the bus route number, date and time of offence. We will zero in on the culprit and take such exemplary action that such instances are not repeated", APSRTC regional manager Venkateshwar Rao said, the DCP (South Zone) Tarun Joshi seconded his comments and assured the girls of speedy and timely action against all the culprits........

As things stand, the hapless girls and the concerned school authorities have no other choice other than accepting these assurances at face value and waiting for the higher ups to make good their assurances and promises in this regard...........

HORROR IN PUNJAB...........

So much for Hyderabad, the much harried and tormented Indian women are not safe and secure anywhere throughout the vast expanse of this country that all of us euphemistically call our motherland........


In an even more heart wrenching and horrifying incident in Punjab's Tarn Taran district, a bunch of policemen who are supposed to come to the aid of women in times of distress, preferred to behave like a bunch of blood thirsty bandits and mercilessly beat up a young woman for no fault of hers........

The gut wrenching visuals that were played on the 24 hour English news channels times without end have narrated the sequence of events as under......

This hapless young woman was wending her way back from a marriage celebration and merrily walking her way back home when she was teased and inappropriately touched by a truck driver, the woman asked the truck driver to mend his ways and when this did not have the required salutary effect on the offending truck driver she approached a police party who happened to be on the spot.......

To her utter horror and dismay, the four demons in khakhi sided with the erring truck driver and turned their collective wrath on the beleaguered woman instead of taking the offending truck driver to task.........

One of these notables jostled and pushed her, while a second made a furtive attempt to snatch her dupatta away, the third of the lot repeatedly slapped her while the fourth compounded her misery by mercilessly beating her up with his lathi........

The father of this young woman also was subjected to the same inhuman treatment and also beaten up in turn by the very same bandits in disguise when he approached them and demanded an explanation for their highly objectionable behaviour.......

As has come to be the norm in such cases, the police higher ups have taken cognisance of these heart wrenching visuals, suspended the four erring cops and initiated an internal departmental inquiry into the incident.......

One is well aware of the fact that such enquiries are a little better than an eyewash and nothing more than a ill concealed attempt at buying time and sweeping the unpleasantness under the carpet at the earliest......

Nothing has ever come out of such enquiries and nothing will ever come out of them as long as they continue to be con ducted by the very same police higher ups who have the same disgusting sexist and age old mindsets towards the fairer sex......

One wonders why the respective state governments have failed to act against these repeat offenders despite the Supreme Court passing many an order on the same; naming and shaming such repeat offenders and the setting up of a rogues gallery prominently displaying the photographs of these bandits in khakhi is the only way forward........

Will the Punjab government put it's money where it's mouth is and dole out exemplary and punitive punishment that will serve as an example for all other such cops who harbour these very same deplorable tendencies or then will this instance too be given a quiet burial as is the governing norm; well your guess on this one is as good as mine..........

THE YOUNGER THE BETTER???????

Hyderabad seems to be doing everything in it's power to dispel the illusion about it's being a safe haven for it's fairer denizens with one myth after another about the same biting the dust in quick succession........


In the latest horror, a 12 year old schoolgirl was first heckled and then unceremoniously bundled out of a moving bus because she could summon up the courage and temerity to question the conductor's indecent and appropriate behaviour and raise her voice in protest.......

The plucky 12 year old Amreen Begum was on her way to school last week and had boarded the bus bearing route number 251 when lo and behold she felt the conductor tugging at her headscarf; the petrified girl started entreating the offending conductor to stop this unwelcome behaviour and when her entreaties and plaintive cries had no effect whatsoever on the tyrant, she made her way to the foot board so that she could alight from the bus at the next stop.........

More than one eyewitness swears to the fact that he or she saw the conductor push the young girl off the foot board of the moving bus in a fit of pique and the very same people also saw this girl falling down in an untidy heap and sustaining multiple bruises on both her hands as well as legs.........

Amreen Begum somehow managed to keep her wits about her about her and reach her school, her teachers were dismayed to see her pitiable condition and both her teachers and principal rushed her to Osmania General Hospital for the required treatment and first aid.........

As is their wont, the officials manning the Bahadurpura police station failed to take cognisance of the tattered salwar kameez of the girl and her bleeding injuries, they not only obstinately refused to register a case against the errant conductor but also asked the girl to make her peace with him, Ameena's school authorities said.........

Other students belonging to the same school also alluded to the fact that this was far from being the first such instance and that the same was a recurring nightmare as far as they were concerned; many of her schoolmates admitted to being at the receiving end of not only the conductors sexist and boorish tendencies but also facing the added ignominy of male fellow passengers contributing their two bits worth.........

All one can say in conclusion is that special buses exclusively meant for ladies and women are the crying need of the hour; these buses should be manned by lady conductors and ply regularly during and after office and school hours........

As for the offending conductor/s, the transport authorities would do well to conduct an identification parade at the earliest, the duly identified conductors should be initially suspended for a thirty day period and their salaries for the same period should be disbursed amongst their victims; the authorities should also not hesitate to summarily dismiss such erring conductors from service for good if they continue to persist with these nocturnal behaviours and deplorable tendencies.....

The only question herein being, who will really bite the bullet and provide aid, succour and lasting relief to these harassed women and school girls??????

IS HYDERABAD SAFE???????

A significant majority of Hyderabad's womenfolk have resorted to the protective measure of carrying packets of extremely pungent chilli powder either on their persona or handbags while stepping out of their homes and are ardently looking forward to graduating to pepper sprays as the same are a far more effective way of protecting oneself in their humble opinions.......


Responding to the horrific incident of a gutsy girl who preferred to jump out of a moving auto after spraying her wannabe assailants with pepper spray rather than submitting herself to the ignominy of becoming a rape victim; Hyderabadi women are almost of the unanimous opinion that APSRTC buses and MMTS trains are anything but safe for the womenfolk who summon up the courage to board them........

Instances of eve teasing within public transport are so common place according to these very same women; if anything such instances have only increased over a period of time instead of showing a downward incline and we are left with no other recourse other than dealing with the situation in the manner that we best deem fit, they opine.........

There are incidents of garrulous men passing lewd remarks, feeling us inappropriately, groping us, whistling and even going to the extent of taking photographs of us with their cell phones on a daily basis and we have little or no choice other than putting up with these highly disturbing behaviours if we want to continue travelling on these MMTS trains, they say...........

"A few enterprising and dandy men board the physically handicapped section of the compartment which is flimsily segregated from the ladies compartment by a mesh; these men keep ogling us and passing inappropriate and highly derogatory comments. Some men have even gone as far as following us to either our places of work or residences after alighting from these trains at the metro stations while commenting on our physical attributes throughout, the women conclude.........

Bringing these behaviours or instances to the notice of a police official is an exercise in futility according to these long suffering womenfolk as these very same men in khakhi who are meant to protect and reassure them do precious little other than warning these lotharios and asking the women to be careful and extremely wary of such elements in the future.......

A lot many women have resorted to the extreme measure of covering themselves from head to toe in an effort to avoid attracting these amorous glances and innuendos, but say that these sick individuals do no let them be despite resorting to the same, the more enterprising amongst the menfolk start throwing slips of paper with their telephone numbers on them at us and a few even resort to playing sleazy songs at high volumes in an effort to attract our singular attention........

Not all of us can afford to spend Rs. 200 or more per day on moving around in autos, these auto wallahs have their very own rules and means of operating, they demand exhorbitant fares to begin with, steadfastly refuse to ply by the meter and vehemently refuse to turn their autos in the direction that we expect them to unless it suits their selfish ends.........

These very same autos are also not safe any longer, the drivers often have a male companion along with them for reasons only known to them, are often inebriated or under the influence of other intoxicants and opium; some of them harbour dishonourable intentions as the incident involving Hyderabad's 23 year old brave heart has proved beyond every reasonable doubt, these plucky young women go on to say.........

Nothing much will change on the ground unless society as a whole stops dismissing these incidents as petty and things that a woman has to put up with in the course of her daily routine one extremely agitated woman says and the callous attitude of both society as a whole and even our very own families in a majority of such instances have left us with no other choice other than grinning and putting up with these utterly humiliating and demeaning instances these long suffering women sign off.......

In the meanwhile, the great Indian tamasha of looking the other way and conveniently sweeping any and every ugly societal truth or unpleasant occurrence under the carpet continues unabated..........

STARTING YOUNG...........

India's child rapists certainly seem to be defying all the laid down norms pertaining to the male species attaining puberty and displaying their sexual prowess at ages that seem a tad difficult to believe and accept......


In a shocking, incredulous and eye popping development, three boys between the ages of eight and ten have been charged with raping a seven year old girl in Uttar Pradesh's Bhadohi district on Thursday last.......

The said incident occurred in the Gopalganj area of Bhadohi district and only came to light when the girl's condition took a turn for the worse on Thursday evening after which she was admitted to a government hospital.......

The victim a class III student was raped by the above mentioned three assailants when on her way back from school on Wednesday evening; the victim did not immediately report the incident to her parents and the rape was only established when her parents took her to a local government hospital after her condition began deteriorating.......

An FIR has been registered in this case and investigations are on, but the three assailants still continue to move around scot free despite the heinousness of their crime.........

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A parliamentary panel expressly constituted to go into and examine the largely contentious issue of marital rape has unilaterally supported the government's decision of not accepting marital rape as a criminal offence and endorsed the same by saying that the same could "lead to practical difficulties".........

One may recall that the Justice J.S. Verma committee that was set up in the aftermath of the Delhi gang rape case to suggest suitable amendments in the criminal laws had strongly recommended that the exception of marital rape be removed from the Indian Penal Code...........

The government of the day however did not deem it fit to accept the Committee's recommendation in this regard as it was of the opinion that including marital rape as a criminal offence would cause irrepairable damage to the structure of the family as one has come to know it........

The parliamentary standing committee on home affairs in it's report on the Criminal Law (Amendment Bill 2012) submitted to the parliament on Friday last concurred with the government's view on this seemingly controversial issue.......

"The same (it) has practical difficulties. If litigations are allowed, then the family structure will be disturbed and disrupted", committee chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu of the Bharatiya Janata Party said while replying to a slew of questions on the same issue..........

CRIME SPREE CONTINUES UNABATED..........

Our concerted effort to acquire the dubious status of the crime capital of the world continues unabated.........




In the first instance, a seven (7) year old girl was sexually assaulted by unknown assailants within the compound of a Municipal Corporation of Delhi run school on the late afternoon of Thursday, February 28, 2013......

This unpleasant and abhorrent fact came to light when the young child complained of severe pain in her abdominal and groin area on the following morning; the child was then rushed to a nearby government hospital where a detailed examination established the sexual assault on her......

The dastardly incident unfolded at the rather down market and nondescript Mangolpuri area of North Delhi and enraged the residents to this extent that they soon took the law into their own hands and soon started rioting and damaging public property........

Delhi police was literally caught with it's pants down and had to rush reinforcements and resort to a prolonged lathi charge to bring the unwieldy situation under control; the seven year old victim has since been discharged from hospital after her condition improved and is being counselled by a child psychologist......

An insider, person known to the victim or somebody employed in the school is the likely assaulter according to police sources, 17 people have been arrested for rioting and disturbing the peace and ten people have been questioned thus far in the sexual assault case, but the police is yet to make any arrests thus far even after 72 hours having elapsed since the horrendous episode........

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The badly decomposed and crudely mutilated bodies of two siblings were recovered from the Pragati Maidan area of the national capital by the Delhi police earlier this morning.........

According to Delhi police sources, the bodies could be that of two siblings namely a seven year old girl and a five year old boy who were abducted from an east Delhi locality three days ago........

A telephone call was made to the parents of the siblings demanding a ransom of thirty lakhs two days ago, but the abductors/kidnappers made no other demands ever since, the very same sources went on to say.........

It is a little too early and premature to conclusively establish the identities of the victims beyond reasonable doubt and the same will only be established after a detailed autopsy according to the senior police officials investigating the case........

The Delhi police has since begun it's preliminary investigations and requested anybody with any relevant information pertaining to the case to come forward and help it it's investigations.........

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The crime spree continues unabated in the national capital and all that the central and Delhi government have to offer are mere tokenisms in the form of the proposed Nirbhaya expressly meant to promote a sense of safety and security amongst the country's womenfolk or homilies in the form of seemingly sage advice pertaining to the common man being his own protector and defender from the beleaguered Delhi chief minister.........

People have begun to tire of such tokenisms, platitudes, and homilies Messrs chief minister and finance minister and want to see a concrete change on the ground without any further ado.......

Will the government and powers that be bite the bullet and get cracking and send out unequivocal signals about meaning business in this regard at long last or then will the situation only continue to go from bad to worse; well your guess on this one is as good as mine.........

LATEST INFORMATION........

Here are the latest developments on the Nirbhaya case front........


# Gang rape and murder charges were ordered to be framed on February 28,2013 by a Juvenile Justice Board against the minor accused of brutally assaulting and raping along with five adult accomplices a 23 year old girl in a moving bus within the national capital on the night of December 16,2012........

# Finding prima facie evidence against the 17 year old juvenile, principal magistrate Geetanjali Goel ordered the framing of charges under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code dealing with gang-rape, murder, kidnapping, unnatural offences, attempt to murder, dacoity, destruction of evidence and conspiracy........

# The Juvenile Justice Board has now fixed March 8,2013 as the date for the next hearing and the relevant evidence shall duly be recorded on the same date. The accused can face a maximum punishment of three years under the existing provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act if he is found to be guilty beyond all reasonable doubt......

# Such other charges like robbery, wrongful confinement and destruction of evidence have also been framed against the very same juvenile in another case of robbing assaulting and robbing a vegetable seller who had boarded the same bus before the gang-rape victim and her male friend........

# The panel will commence/begin recording of evidence in the robbery case from March 12, 2013 onwards against the juvenile; the said juvenile has claimed innocence and decided to contest the charges framed/brought against him by the Juvenile Justice Board.........

Stay tuned to the Hyderabad for Change' facebook page for more such updates.........

TIME FOR INTROSPECTION...........

Here are a few relevant suggestions and points to ponder for the self styled leaders of the Janatantra Morcha Andhra Pradesh state body.......


* why don't you focus your concentrated energies on taking up a few issues that will help you in staying solvent and relevant instead of running down each other in public, calling each other colourful and vile names and indulging in antics that would even put a seasoned politician to shame......

* Our soul father, guide and mentor Shri Anna Hazare spoke of a Sampoorna Vyavastha Parivartan or complete and far reaching systemic change when he addressed the sparse and meagre gathering at the Wesley College Grounds, but do tell me have you even spared a thought about setting your own house in order before reforming the existing system.........

* One does completely sympathise, empathise and agree with the aggrieved and wounded souls who feel alienated and disillusioned by the antics of these wannabes who have surreptitiously usurped the very reins of power and pelf into their very own hands, what I fail to understand is whether this peoples' movement was all about power, pelf and self glorification or then was it about selfless service, sacrifice and dedication as I have come to understand it.........

* the cause has always been and will always continue to be greater than the individual, no individual can subvert a cause and overwhelm or undermine it calling it his/her own brainchild and creation; the success of a cause is always determined by the cohesiveness, inclusiveness and spirit of give and take that exists amongst it's supporters and bickering, bad blood and dithering amongst it's supporters always sounds it's death knell and spells it's doom........

* flexi banners, pamphlets, other than information and cause related one's, grandiose self laudatory press statements and shameful buffoonery that would even put a seasoned comedian to shame has no place or relevance whatsoever in a supposedly reformatist movement and if self praise, promotion and glorification rather than selfless and dedicated service is your only reason for being there, I am of the opinion that such interests would be better served within an established political party........

* Shri Anna Hazare's legions of supporters claim to be apolitical and free from any political moorings, but pray will somebody tell me what those flexi banners, cut outs, flyers that were circulated with the photographs of such notables along with Shri Anna Hazare and the Maddening clamour to be seated on the podium in the full media glare was all about.......

* Why don't we focus our energies on taking up women's related causes in a big way, my good friend Sashank Rajwadi has filed a series of RTI petitions in this regard and even received replies from various high ranking policed officials pertaining to his queries in this regard; yours truly has raised certain pertinent questions with the National Commission for Women about their repeated failures to provide required relief and succour to victims of such crimes, their failure to file cases and police complaints in every case that is duly brought up before them and why the Maharashtra state government has failed to appoint a head for it's state commission for the last three years and more. I am also aware of the work being done by Kumar Shastri in this regard, but can anybody else say the same about himself/herself........

* And last but not the least, will the organisers of the Janatantra March slated for March 3, 2013 come clean on their motives and reasons for organising the same; if social service and adoption of a peoples' related agenda is your motive and aim, then you have found a dedicated supporter and advocate, but if self glorification, promotion and seeking the media limelight is your guiding principle, then I am not even willing to touch you with a bargepole..........

Absolute honesty both with oneself and others is the only way forward; and if clandestine agendas, oneupmanship related skirmishes and other such related matters are on the table or then below it, then I am afraid to say that it a classic case of one step forward and four steps backwards........

CONSTITUTING A NEW INVESTIGATIVE AGENCY.....

The state of Maharashtra seems to be well on it's way towards acquiring the dubious distinction of being the most "rappening" state of them all, it's been well over two weeks since the horrendous incident in Bhandara district wherein three sisters between the ages of 11 and 5 were brutally gang raped, murdered and their corpses were subsequently dumped in an old abandoned well........


Union home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde had made lofty promises about the culprits being brought to book at the earliest and exemplary punishments being handed down to the culprits but nothing of note has happened ever since other then the suspension of the concerned Circle Inspector of Police for his abject failure to take cognisance of the complaint filed by the mother of the missing girls and duly register an FIR in the matter.......

Three more rapes have since come to light, two of women between the ages of 30 and 40 being belonging to the scheduled castes and tribes being brutally assaulted and paraded naked by their upper caste assailants within the village that falls within the Satara district on February 25, 2013........

And the third being that of a minor school girl being gang raped and left to die within the home borough of Maharashtra home minister R.R. Patil, namely Sangli district on February 28,2013; the police is still groping in the dark and is yet to apprehend the assailants in all three cases as has become their wont.........

Messrs Union Finance Minister and home minister, setting up of a corpus fund under Nirbhaya's name is not the solution to these soul stirring and inhuman crimes against women, but timely investigation, identification and apprehending of culprits and their trial before duly designated fast track courts is..........

Have the two of you ever spared a moment and thought about setting up a centre based investigation agency that would solely concentrate and focus it's energies on crimes against women; this special investigation cell could be head quartered in the national capital and headed by a woman police officer of DIG or IG rank..........

The same can be created under an act of parliament, have the powers to supercede the local police forces in matters of investigation and arrest and report to the presiding officers of both houses of parliament; and adequate budget, required manpower and specialised equipment can be provided to this newly constituted investigative agency through supplementary budgetary grants........

Responsibility, accountability and jurisdiction of the said investigative agency could be fixed at the earliest, and heads should be seen to roll if the very same investigative agency fails to complete it's investigation into a crime within a maximum period of ninety days from the date of occurrence of the crime.......

Only such and other such allied measures will send out the signal that the ruling dispensation really means business in this regard and not mere tokenisms like the setting up of a Nirbhaya safety and security related fund will suffice to address an increasingly alarming and grave situation...........