JAWAHARLAL NEHRU UNIVERSITY STUDENTS UNION OPEN MEMORANDUM TO THE HOME MINISTER OF INDIA, CHIEF MINISTER OF DELHI AND DELHI POLICE COMMISSIONER

JAWAHARLAL NEHRU UNIVERSITY STUDENTS UNION

OPEN MEMORANDUM TO THE HOME MINISTER OF INDIA, CHIEF MINISTER OF DELHI AND DELHI POLICE COMMISSIONER

19 December 2012 The gang-rape and brutalization of a 23 year old student on the roads of Delhi has shocked and deeply disturbed people across the country, particularly the citizens of Delhi. The incident once again betrays the impunity of the perpetrators who remain undeterred by the police and the entire criminal justice system of the capital city.

Despite the massive public outrage, the official response to this incident has been disappointing, with no one in office willing to take responsibility for this sorry state of affairs. Yesterday, the Home Minister paid lip service to ensuring speedy investigation in the case but took no pains to announce new mechanisms or reassure the women of Delhi vis-Ã -vis their safety; the Delhi CM held that the Police was under the Home Ministry and subsequently decided to divert matters by writing to the judiciary for ensuring speedy trial; the Delhi Police Commissioner accepted no lapse on part of the Police, asserted that all such crimes cannot be prevented and also tried to pass responsibility on to the judiciary for delays in trial and conviction. The fact of the matter is that all these offices and institutions are collectively responsible for this pathetic state of affairs wherein women continue to remain unsafe in the capital city of Delhi, as also in the entire country. We are deeply concerned about the health and well-being of the survivor of this brutal rape. We express our solidarity with her and her family. We all unite in wishing her a speedy recovery and a life of dignity.

We again demand the arrest of all culprits “ two of whom are still absconding “ and also demand speedy justice for her. The trial and conviction must be completed within 100 days. Demands to Fight Crimes against Women Delhi alone accounts for 13.3 per cent of the total incidents of crimes against women and 43.1 per cent of the total incidents of crimes against children among 53 mega cities of India. In view of the alarming rise in crimes against women in Delhi, particularly gang-rapes, the JNU Students Union demands the following: 

1. Drastically improve the rate of registration of FIRs in Delhi.
As per the National Crime Records Bureau Report of 2011, of the total 14618802 complaints of crime received by Delhi Police only 59249, i.e., less than 0.5 per cent, were registered as FIRs. This shows the general apathy of the Delhi Police towards all crimes in Delhi. As per Delhi Police Annual Report of 2010, only 11.88 per cent of all complaints received by the Crimes Against Women (CAW) Cells in Delhi were converted into FIRs. This criminal apathy is responsible for the confidence enjoyed by criminals in the state.

2. Drastically improve the rate and quality of investigation into cases. Also improve the rate and speed of chargesheeting, trial and conviction. Currently, a bigger proportion of those charged with rape and other crimes against women go scot free. The conviction rate in crimes against women has fallen in the country from a meagre 27.8% in 2010 to 26.9% in 2011. As per studies conducted in Delhi, those convicted of rape lodged in the Tihar Jail of Delhi have committed on an average four rapes before conviction. This betrays the failure of the entire criminal-justice system.

3. Introduce compulsory courses on gender sensitivity in the training module of the Police Force instead of just a handful of workshops for a handful of Police Officers.

4. Ensure more women in the Delhi Police. Currently there are less than 6.5 per cent women in the Delhi Police.

5. Introduce Fast Track and Specialized courts for rape and other crimes against women in Delhi. This has been promised repeatedly by the Home Ministry over the last decade only to be reneged. 

6. Ensure women constable escorted transportation on telephonic and any other form of request to any woman in Delhi. Make such transport available at speed.

7. Ensure more stringent sexual assault laws in the country. Amend existing weak laws on rape and sexual assault in the country. 

8. Institute anti-sexual harassment committees in all schools, colleges and workplaces as per the Supreme Court guideline. Ensure passage of the prevention of sexual harassment at workplace bill after suitable amendments to remove weaknesses. 

9. Enact State Level Laws in Delhi for curbing crimes against women.

10. Institute mechanisms to ensure physical and psychological wellbeing of all victims of crimes through counselling and dedicated medical facilities.

The JNUSU will continue its struggle to ensure that these measures are undertaken.

Sd/V. Lenin Kumar President, JNUSU

Sd/Shakeel Anjum General Secretary, JNUSU

Please join us at India gate today ( 19.12.12 ) at 5 pm

 details : http://www.facebook.com/events/120378174795019/?ref=22

 

Poor NGO Types

I work for social change. When I started in this field I was often the butt of my own jokes and did joke about how I was always broke. Somehow it goes with the image, but the more time I spend in India working on civil society projects relating to women's rights, the more I realize how ridiculous it is. Sure we can all conjure up the traditional image of an Indian social worker,  'Khadi ka Kurta pajama', in our minds with a cheap Jhola bag resting on his shoulder and dusty kolapurri chapals on his tired feet. In addition to being obviously poor and hungry. Well I could not disagree more with that image. Yes, I believe in working tirelessly for the needs of others. Yes I believe that we all owe it to ourselves to make sure that our fellow woman and man is well taken after. But no, I do not need to be hungry and poor to help the ones who are. I do not need to live below the poverty line in order to help people who do. Just like I don’t need to turn into a maple tree in order to save one, or a woman to work for women's rights.

I ask you this, why on earth are the people who work for the good of others forbidden from enjoying a comfortable lifestyle? No one would ever question my lifestyle if I made millions by marketing the merits of poisonous products such as Coca Cola or tobacco but the second a social worker drives a car or eats in a nice restaurant she/he is considered to be dishonest. 

Had I been a doctor or a lawyer no one would question my fancy German car, or accurate Swiss watch, fine Italian suits or lavish holidays on some luxurious island resort with a hard to pronounce name.

When I asked Dr Anand Kumar a noted sociologist the same question, he answered "Society accepts preachers who are practitioners, be it Vivekanand, Gandhi, Mother Teresa or Anna Hazare. Socially cautious entrepreneurs like Ratan Tata, Narayan Murti and Azim Prem ji are all highly respected by all strata of society. Social entrepreneurs like Sunita Narayan, Aruna Roy and Vindeshwar Pathak are all examples of women and men who have broken away from the cliché of the impoverished individual working towards social change.”

Kuber Sharma, a modern day social activist, argues that "This doesn't exist in my world. I know that this lifestyle is something I don't survive in. Hence while I am not averse to working in the grassroots and have worked in little villages all over India, as a full-time profession I prefer a cushy Delhi office. No I still don't have an air-conditioned office, but at least I can be myself here. If clothes and gadgets will dictate what I am and how I think, then let people judge me."

Devendra Kumar, a development professional and also one of the first people who told me "I want to make money through doing good" (this was about 10 years back ), when I gave him a ring for this blog post explained that "Social work in India is still considered a voluntary action and not a professional one. This is a major downer for the development sector. The salaries of the social sector need to marginally match the ones of the corporate, then only can one expect quality social activists. We need to look into the development sector as a professional one if we want to bring about large scale sustainable development."

Manish Tiwari, a political journalist, argues that "If one was to create two categories of NGO’s the ones using the funds and the ones stealing the funds, the list of thieves would be miles longer (I could not agree more). This extreme disparity has led to the critical take of society. No one as such is against social entrepreneurship, but everyone is against con artists minting money in the name of philanthropy. 

Dr. Rohit Negi, who teaches Development Studies and also the catalyst behind this blog post, explains that “The origins of this notion are in Gandhian practice. Prior to Gandhi's entry on the Indian political scene, the leadership was largely elite, and they had very little pretensions of reaching out to the masses. Gandhi's message was to live and dress like those on whose behalf one claimed to speak, which is what representation--government or non-government--is essentially about.  Even today, civil society and social workers are viewed through that same lens: they must be incorruptible and lead what the larger society considers a simple life. Because, in part, non-profit also means non-well to do. That someone who is in the development sector, broadly defined, also make good money and live a more-than-decent life attracts allegations of impropriety, and undermines his/her credibility.  For better or worse, I believe this is a fact. There are obvious merits of holding civil society to a tough standard, but then it means that anyone who wishes to be in this arena with a degree of honesty needs to choose between the work and a comfortable life.”

So what happens to me? A guy with a technical degree who believes in viable social change . Do I starve to fit into a cliché ? Or do I battle it out , changing professional norms as I progress ? Or do I give up both and jump back into the corporate sector designing micro chips and selling them to the highest bidder?