The last thing the country wanted was another victim of gender-based violence in India succumbing to injuries long after the crime had been committed. The death of J. Vinodhini, a 23-year-old B. Tech graduate, due to complications caused by a heinous acid attack in Puducherry on November 14 last year, is not just another addition to the large and, regrettably, increasing database of offences against women; rather, it is an example of the inexplicable masculine tendency to inflict grave injury on women in such manner that someone merely going about her life is converted overnight into a symbol of victimhood, forced into a battle for survival and then transformed by death into a brave-heart she did not aspire to be. On the surface, such attacks may be the perverse product of unrequited love but they bear the ugly imprint of a violent, patriarchal culture that valorises the right of a man to stalk, possess — and eventually even disfigure — the woman he desires. All will empathise with the trauma and agony undergone by Vinodhini and her family due to the senseless act of a spurned suitor. It is only appropriate that the law recognises their pain and the need for meet justice. The Justice Verma Committee recommendations on this find expression in two new sections in the Indian Penal Code (Sections 326A and 326B) introduced by the February 3, 2013, ordinance. These envisage a maximum of 10 years in jail for those causing disability or disfigurement through the use of acid, and a five-year term for throwing or trying to throw acid on another.
Since the fear of arrest under stringent laws is unlikely to deter a crime of passion, experts feel the primary effort to curb acid attacks must lie in reducing easy access to the means to commit the crime. The Supreme Court has directed State governments and the Centre to meet and discuss provisions to regulate the sale of acid, to ensure treatment, care and rehabilitation of victims, and for payment of compensation. Scaling up facilities for psychotherapy for those feeling depressed or rejected is another possible intervention. Be it the physiotherapy student in Delhi who is now an iconic figure in the copious annals of sexual violence in our country, or Laxmi, an acid attack victim who approached the Supreme Court in 2006 seeking a special law to deal with the use of acid to maim women physically and destroy them psychologically, it is not enough to remember their courageous fight for staying alive or their desire to bring their assailants to justice for their symbolic value. Rather, their death and suffering should occasion a determined revisiting of our laws and practices, attitudes and prejudices.
Keywords: acid attack, J. Vinodhini, crimes against women, Karaikal acid attack
Its not the severity of law but certainty of law of law that act as deterrent . While justice verma committee shows the way forward in bring about changes in Indian penal code to deal with acid attack case , but what can not missed is that centre should act on supreme court guideline given in Prakash singh case to bring about police reform to make policing India efficient and reponsive .
How come you have chosen an old heinous 'case' after 3 months?We
expected then ,not now.Did the Delhi rape case made you feel for the
subject?And you do not want such ruthless people to go to the gallows.
I think it would be better if we have a separate jail for such cruel
rapists and terrorists -all such people who have been stopped from going
to the gallows.
The Tamil Nadu government should have stepped in from first day with regard to her treatment. Acid burns treatment is a specialised one and it is a long duration one. The poor family had to go to four hospitals during the treatment period. It caused economic burden in addition to their sufferings. What happened to that criminal?
Shame complete shame !!!
Kudos to writer for writing on this, as none of the newspapers have given this news required importance !
For curbing such incidents govt should step up and take some actions. I think-
1. There should not be easy availability for Acids.
2. Those who attempt such heinous crimes must be sent behind the bars. No bails should be given, and should also be consulted with psychologist.
3. Stringent laws are required , just like what mentioned in Justice J S Verma Committee.
It is high-time we come up with stringent measures to deal with the
perpetrators of such dastardly acts. But the only thing that confuses
me is the connection made between patriarchy and violence against
women. The reason why I am confounded here is because countries in the
middle-east which are even more patriarchal than our society is, have
much lesser number of incidents such as rape and acid-attacks. We all
know that in such countries a rapist gets castrated. So, I believe it
is only stringent punishment(though I am neither suggesting nor
opposing castration) that will take us closer to putting an end to
such heinous crimes.
Please everybody take heed.
"their death and suffering should occasion a determined revisiting of our laws and practices, attitudes and prejudices."
PM Manmohan, Sonia, Rajnath, other MPs, Party presidents, political leaders, regional party leaders, please take this as an opportunity to revisit "our laws and practices, attitudes and prejudices." If we don't act, we become party to the next crime.
It is utterly shameful that the society and the state in this country is not able to provide an environment in which women could establish themselves as financially independent s ,the thing that they have yearned for years .Heinous Incidents targeting women reflects the medieval mindset that still prevails among us.It also means that there exists some serious lacuna in the current education system. However, the education system can be developed and can be used as a weapon of reform and change. Education should not only target to make the pupils economically progressive but at the same time must strive for their holistic development.
This is so sad. The other day I was reading about fifty nine years of
imprisonment for molesting a women in the US. I believe in India, we
don't even consider molestation as a crime. As a well educated
female, I seriously think of leaving this country. It's suffocating to
walk on roads here, not wear what you want to wear and choose the
person you want to be with. People have judgments on everything. How
can my freedom of expression be related to 'testosterone' levels of
men? After Delhi rape incidence, the kind of opinions which came from
certain section made me feel if I belong to the same country. As an
'Indian' , I am not able to relate myself to thoughts like 'No
respected women gets raped' or ' The victim should have prayed to the
accused adressing them as brother'. It's just not about law but the
mindsets. I feel sad. I don't want to be called Indian only on
passport but sadly I pay a huge cost to be safe here. I feel ashamed
of India and fellow-Indians. Of late, quite often.
Our hearts go with the victim.The desires and feelings of Vinodhini have evaporated into thin air in this despicable male dominated society.Eves!The apple is not yours.It is Adams'. Taste when he permits so; Smile when Adam says so; Offer your neck when he demands so;Dance and sing when he orders so; Cook what he prefers so; Have babies when he desires so;Deny to dig your grave. For how long do we continue to count the graves of the victims? Who plays villainy? The caste-ridden,exploitative and male dominated society? What do all such repeated atrocities remind us? The women's organisations like AIDWA have a leading role to play,in mending the chinks in the ordinance enacted in the light of Verma's recommendations.If it signals a change of social order, don't wait anymore.
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