Open Your Mouth and Die
An Update: 1,684 Bloggers had blogged about the movie Rang De Basanti within 24 hours of it’s release. There are 4 bloggers who have blogged about Meher Bhargav so far. Where are the rest of the 1,680 bloggers who had been so passionate and aggressive about doing something for their country after watching Rang De Basanti? Where are they?
And where are those who ran the Write on Eve Teasing Blogathon? Are they too busy to write about Meher Bhargav? The one who actually raised her voice in REAL - LIFE against eve teasing rather than sitting behind a PC to “blog” about it.
Lucknow, capital of Uttar Pradesh, India. A month ago. A 52 year old, Meher Bhargav confronted four guys in a residential complex. They had just passed lewd remarks (read: eve teasing) on her daughter in law. In return she received a bullet shot.
Meher Bhargav passed away after being in a state of paralysis for about a month in a hospital. [news at Rediff]
The person who shot Meher was Sachin Pahadi. Mr. Pahadi is a known criminal in Uttar Pradesh and is on the MOST WANTED CRIMINAL LIST. This is not the end of Mr. Pahadi. According to the Rediff report -
The trigger-happy Pahari was allegedly using a flat rented by recently elected Samajwadi Party block pramukh K D Singh, also an accused in a couple of murder cases…. Sources alleged that Pahari remained in the “safe custody” of a ruling party legislator, who was known for violating laws with utter impunity. Earlier, about a year back, the same legislator had stormed a local police station to force the release of his cohort, none other than K D Singh.
Let’s get together and clap at a wonderful job the politicians’ of India have done. That wonderful job being - Brainwashing all Indian citizens and the rest of the world: “India is a Democratic Republic. Indians have more freedom than any other living person on this earth”.
And the freedom includes to shoot a mother in law right in her face if she objects to you eve teasing on her daughter in law. The freedom includes being able to roam without any fear on the streets of Lucknow inspite of having your name on the cop’s most wanted list. The freedom includes being able to live carefree at your local politician’s apartment who himself is accused in a couple of murder cases.
The freedom includes laughing at another candle light march organized by peace loving citizens. What can a mere candle light march do? HA!!! If you had it your way you would gun down all those people showing support for Meher Bhargav.
So Mr. Mulayam Singh Yadav, woke up a month later and ordered the cops to make arrests, the result being that Mr. K.D. Singh was put behind bars. But hey even, criminals and those who protect them - have rights. The right to eve tease or molest anyone is a fundamental right. Hence Mr. K.D. Singh is now free after a court ordered his release. Another round of applause please.
Sachin Pahadi, K.D. Singh and the unnamed local legislator are live examples of what a wonderful democratic freedom of rights we have in India. So what if a few non-entities like Jessica Lal (famous model) or Meher Bhargav (wife of a local Congress Politician) are killed in this land of the free?
Sacrifices have to be made in order to ensure that the True Indian Freedom is kept alive and kicking. That Indian Freedom where the Rulers of India - the politicians have turned Democracy into a Dictatorship, and yet will scream in your face and mine that India is in fact a Democratic Republic.
So now it’s your turn to make a sacrifice, dear Reader. Your turn has to come. You can’t just be a mute spectator and expect to live in an Indian Democracy without sacrificing your head at the block.
So take your wife, your daughter, your mother or even your girl friend out in the streets of Lucknow. Let a gun happy gangster like Sachin Pahadi molest them - hopefully only verbally with a local politician like Mr. K.D. Singh watching the gangster’s back.
You merely have to put your head down and walk away. For raising your head isn’t allowed in a Democratic Republic. It’s a crime. And you are shot in your face and left to die.
Ofcourse a few guys from Desi Train will organize a silent march in your memory. But we can’t do it for everyone of you who breaks the law. After all we have busy lives too. So just put your head down and walk away the next time the women in your house are molested verbally or physically. India is a democratic republic and the molesters have a legitimate right to do just that.
March 27th, 2006 at 2:25 pm
[...] Oz is shocked that such blatant examples of lawlessness still exists and worse, goes unreported for days. Let us not suffer from outrage fatigue; join in the protest for Meher Bhargav. [...]
March 27th, 2006 at 5:01 pm
Perhaps the group who drove the Blogathon does not think this issue is worth taking up. And the bloggers blogging RDB are already tired after having taken up a couple of controversial issues.
oz boss you do know that Meher’s son owned the apartment where Singh lived. Right?
March 27th, 2006 at 5:43 pm
- Jignesh, about the apartment thing. Yes. The apartment was owned by Meher’s son and leased or rented out to KD Singh, who inturn got the group of thugs to live there. Meher and the four thugs she confronted that night did not know each other, even though the four guys were actually living in an apartment owned by Meher’s son!!!
Ofcourse there in lies a third issue on - why was the apartment rented out to KD Singh a known culprit turned politician in the first place. One can only assume that since Meher’s husband himself is a local politician (Congress)… for better or worse all politicians dine at the same table.
This however does not take anything away from the primary issue
1. Meher was shot dead for confronting the eve teasers
2. Local politicians are sheltering the culprits. I mean how fucking stupid would the judge and the prosecution have to be to let go of KD Singh? What did KD Singh’s defense say that let him off? - That even though KD Singh had rented this apartment he wasn’t aware who the four goons were? Those four that were staying in that very apartment where he is supposed to be living himself????
March 27th, 2006 at 9:04 pm
Oz, it’s a sad state of affairs, but that’s how India is. The population is out of control and thanks to that, there is a complete disrespect for life.
Almost every 2-3 days we read about loss of life without battling an eyelid - “Bus plunges into valley, 50 dead” or “Marriage party killed as truck rams into the convoy” or “Salman Khan runs over pavement dwellers and walks away”.
There are just a few brave ones like Meher who raise their voice and have to pay with their lives.
And it’s not just limited to eve-teasing. There is chaos when it comes to driving. Last week on my way to work, an auto-rickshaw came real close to my car and finally hit my mirror. When I confronted him at the signal, he started arguing. As the signal went green, the next thing I hear is a metal on metal and this ass had scraped my car. There was a cop standing there but did nothing. He tells me to take the driver to the police station some 10 blocks away. He doesn’t even confiscate the auto drivers license. I had no choice but to take the law in my own hand. I grabbed the driver, punched him in the face and kicked and smashed his tail-lights and then drove off to work!
That’s the sad situation that exists in Mumbai, the so-called “New York of India”. So the shooting in a lawless place like UP is no surprize at all.
~Manoj~
March 27th, 2006 at 10:07 pm
Oz…
The very reason that people don’t respond or blog about such topics…Meher Bhargav or Jessica Lall or the Kasliwal rape or the german tourist rape case is that such things have become so routine that people have stopped reacting.
It is like after being burnt for so many times, boiling water doesn’t hurt you anymore….
There is a clear pattern to all this….First the incident….then sensationalized news in the media…public outcry….arrest of accused…..retraction of statements…confusion…hostile witnesses…case closed due to lack of evidence…victim suffers in silence…
No incident in recent past has been allowed to reach its “lawful” conclusion..some confusion always ensues, semantics are engaged in…and the case is closed.
India is a free country. Only the rich and powerful can get away free..
March 27th, 2006 at 10:51 pm
[...] Consider this, a gun happy, politically backed, world renonwed scientist (sorry scientists really have no value now-a-days) culprit guns down a 52 year old Meher Bhargav for doing the most of terrible crime in Indian history. And what was the crime? She tried to protect her daughter-in-law from eve teasing. Shame on you Mrs. Bhargav, you deserve to die. Don’t you know that women are public property in India. [...]
March 28th, 2006 at 6:55 am
Oz, what is more shocking? this happened to a politically well-connected person. Then imagine the plight of the “ah-just-another-homosapien” like us?
Paritrana was born out of such frustrations.
But I guess even we are liable to some extent. Everyone (atleast I am) is guilty of either bribing or using anti-social elemets’ help at some stage or the other. The change has to come from the public (through education and realisation?). What other means, in small or big way, do you sugest to the desitrain visitors?
March 28th, 2006 at 8:29 am
- Manoj, Now I know why you call yourself FenderBender :> As you say, yes these incidents happening every day do not surprise anyone from India anymore. As an individual I reacted to this news by trying to create an awareness among Desi Train readers.
No reaction would mean a repeat of history. The British ruling us for 300 years. This time though instead of the British, its our own people.
- Abhishek, Pavan
So true. But I submit this question to you: What would “YOU” in your own little or large way do? Sending an email or a letter to your local legislator/MP or those in the Judiciary is a way of letting people in power know that “You the citizen of India is - not sleeping - and is aware of what’s going on. You do not approve of this incident”. That could be the least every responsible citizen of India can do. On the other hand another individual may have a different more intense reaction and may go in for a collection of signatures, a petition, organizing a silent march, or something bigger.
The objective is to stay aware and let those in power be aware that “YOU” the citizen of India is WATCHING THEM. Fear of losing power has gone for a toss because we as Indians have stopped WATCHING over them.
To me this is a repeat of what we did during the British Rule. We merely STOPPED reacting to the new rulers with a “What the Hell? Let them rule. Makes no difference” attitude. The result: 300 years of British Rule.
Of course - everything and I mean EVERYTHING is in perfect balance in the game being played by the Higher Power (God, incase someone starts guessing politician’s names for Higher Power).
Yet somehow somewhere we have lost our way to perform our daily Karma - because of the most common reaction “nothing will come out it”. On one end we call ourselves a spiritual nation but on the other hand we have failed to follow Geeta’s advice of doing our Karma without worrying about the results.
Hmmm…. my comments got too preachy. I better shut up :)
March 28th, 2006 at 8:34 pm
I agree that it’s upto every individual to make a difference. I always try to do my bit. In chaotic traffic like Mumbai, I still stop my car to allow a pedestrian to cross, I make it a point to not block an intersection or a gate in a traffic jam, I wrap my chewing gum in the wrapper and put it in my pocket till I can get a trash can, I don’t bribe the cop or the peon or the clerk to get my job done, etc…
The problem is, the others around us are not willing to change. Everybody has become selfish and self-centered. If I stop my car to allow a pedestrian to cross, the others think I am a fool, they honk and try to pass me from the side. In fact once a car almost knocked down a little school-going kid for whom I had stopped my car to let him cross. That of course doesn’t stop me from doing my bit. The important question is, are the others willing to join you in bringing about a change? Is a “Rangde Basanti” possible in reality?
~Manoj~
P.S. I call myself FenderBender coz I play a Fender bass guitar :)
March 31st, 2006 at 7:27 am
This is a shout out to Fender Bender,
Dude… you are one of a kind, you must be the only ” Salmon” which can swim against the flow of the river. Keep up the good work man, hopefully someone will follow suit and maybe some day this anarchy will be under control.
April 1st, 2006 at 11:00 am
I rarely read blogs, but yours is one I try to check out atleast once a week … keep writing.