E D I T O R I A L   P A G E

EDITORIALS

Burden of protecting VVIPs
THE Union Home Ministry’s proposal to amend the Special Protection Group (SPG) Act for restricting security cover to former Prime Ministers, their spouses and immediate family members for a year is timely. In fact, the step was long overdue in the context of the enormous expenditure being incurred by the government on protecting the VVIPs.

Dhaka and Al-Qaida
THAT the ISI of Pakistan has been spreading its wings in Nepal and Bangladesh is an open secret. Unfortunately, not much has been done by these two countries in this regard, with the result that the menace has acquired alarming proportions.

Blind to eye camps
NEWSPAPER reports of some 30 persons losing their vision after they underwent operations at a free eye camp organised by a charitable organisation last month at Nanaksar, near Jagraon in Ludhiana district, once again raise the question whether such camps should be allowed.

OPINION

Shameful record of broken promises
Whatever happened to one rank, one pension ?
Harwant Singh
THE demand for one rank, one pension (OROP) of the defence services is now over two decades old. The proposal has been buffeted around by the government in its innumerable deceptive and devious ways, including the palpably unjust, illogical and anomalies loaded. ‘One Time Increment.’ In the case of OROP, though the justness of the demand is accepted, but from time to time, the civilian employee case is mischievously injected to stymie the proposal.

MIDDLE

Portrait of a lady
Suchita Malik
MY day starts with the trin... trin... trin... trin... sound of alarm clock putting our daily routine back onto rails. The hurried morning cup o’tea given way to the drab cycle of waking up the children, getting them ready in a rush, doing-up the tiffin and sending them packing to their car pools almost in a jiffy. 

ON RECORD

A carrot-and-stick policy on militancy needed
Prashant Sood
A youthful leader on the horizon of Kashmir politics, Mehbooba Mufti has greatly contributed to the good showing of the People’s Democratic Party in the recent Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections and to the eventual coronation of her father, Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, as the Chief Minister. It was a call from Ms Mehbooba Mufti to Congress president Sonia Gandhi that led to the PDP and the Congress forming a coalition after the talks had almost broken down on the leadership issue.

REFLECTIONS

It is social environment that produces rapists
Kiran Bedi
ONE question being repeatedly asked is: why are the rapes on the increase? And why are they happening? And why is the police not able to prevent them?

SIGHT & SOUND

Statistics or quality?
Amita Malik
WHEN my generation started off on its media careers, one of the golden rules dinned into us was: Don’t throw statistics at the listener or viewer, they simply don’t register so quickly and bore them.

SPIRITUAL NUGGETS

EDITORIALS

Burden of protecting VVIPs

THE Union Home Ministry’s proposal to amend the Special Protection Group (SPG) Act for restricting security cover to former Prime Ministers, their spouses and immediate family members for a year is timely. In fact, the step was long overdue in the context of the enormous expenditure being incurred by the government on protecting the VVIPs. The issue in question is not to make out a case against protecting former Prime Ministers and their family members but to examine whether they are really in need of such protection, that too, at a whopping cost to the national exchequer. If the threat perception is genuine, only then should security be provided to the VVIP in accordance with the other provisions of the Act. Clearly, most VVIPs, excluding Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Mrs Sonia Gandhi and her two children, seem to be under no threat to their lives as to merit SPG cover. In fact, there is a general impression that successive governments at the Centre failed in their duty in making a correct assessment of the threat perception to our politicians and providing the required level of security. Either the protection so extended, at the cost of the poor taxpayers’ money, is unwarranted or is purely on grounds of one’s political clout. The result: protection by agencies like the SPG or the National Security Guards (NSG) and security under other categories such as Z Plus, Z, X plus, X, Y plus and Y are viewed as status symbols which a developing country like ours can ill-afford to provide.

In the case of the SPG, it is all the more surprising because security is being provided to leaders facing no threat and even when the protectees themselves have appealed to the Centre to withdraw the same. For instance, Mr H.D.Deve Gowda has been asking the Centre to withdraw the cover, but in vain. Mr V.P. Singh has gone a step further to say that the huge funds being used on their protection could well be spent on running 6,000 primary schools every year. If SPG protection to Mr Deve Gowda and his family members in Bangalore is a classic example of financial improvidence and mismanagement, the one extended to Mr V.P. Singh during his foreign trips for treatment makes the very existence of the elite corps ludicrous and infructuous. It is said that whenever Mr Singh used to go to London, his SPG men were left with no work throughout his period of stay as under the British laws, they were forced to deposit their arms with the authorities concerned at the airport! The Centre may have its own reasons for extending the security cover to the VVIPs, but they must be based on reason and in proportion with the level of threat to each one of them. Surely, the Centre should not provide blanket protection to anyone, merely because of the provisions in the Act. In any case, the fact that the Centre has at last realised the need to restrict the SPG cover to one year and stop indiscriminate extension through umpteen amendments to the Act is welcome. There is also the need for the Centre and the States to make a comprehensive review of the security being extended to VVIPs under various categories and make it realistic and need-based.

Dhaka and Al-Qaida

THAT the ISI of Pakistan has been spreading its wings in Nepal and Bangladesh is an open secret. Unfortunately, not much has been done by these two countries in this regard, with the result that the menace has acquired alarming proportions. Thing have come to such a pass that Dhaka has started becoming a safe haven even for Al-Qaida terrorists. That is one development which should make not only Asia but the whole of the world sit up. The consequences can be disastrous for everyone if this evil is not nipped in the bud. The international community does not have to take only the word of External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha in this regard, although his statement would not have come had there not been enough proof about Bangladesh becoming a terrorist hub. The facts are corroborated by western media reports also. A mystery ship, SS Mecca, with Al-Qaida operatives landed at the coast of Chittagong recently. There are several other disturbing signals. On October 7, the Calcutta police picked up a Harkat-ul-Jehadi-e-Islami (HUJI) operative, Fazle Karim, who revealed during his interrogation that Al-Qaida’s number two, Ayman AlZawahiri, one of the most wanted terrorists, had reached Bangladesh in September. Twentyfive Al-Qaida men had already been there since June to train HUJI members. It should be kept in mind that HUJI’s Bangladesh chief had endorsed Osama’s call in 1998 for a jehad against the West, India and Israel.

However, the terrorists’ main backer, Jamaat-e-Islami, is a member of Prime Minister Khaleda Zia’s ruling coalition and this arrangement seems to have been instrumental in the monumental neglect of the nefarious activities by the Bangladesh government. Former Prime Minister and Opposition leader Sheikh Hasina all but acknowledged the terrorist activities during her recent Indian visit, thereby endorsing the strong statement of Mr Sinha in Parliament. She stopped just short of accepting that Al-Qaida was not only using Bangladesh as a transit point to Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia but had also set up a big base there. All this is bad news not just for India. What happened in Bali is too recent to be forgotten. While Bangladesh must realise the dangers inherent in playing with fire, the world community must also appreciate that it cannot allow terrorism to fester in any corner. Sooner or later, the branches of the poison ivy being grown in Bangladesh and Pakistan will reach far beyond India.

Blind to eye camps

NEWSPAPER reports of some 30 persons losing their vision after they underwent operations at a free eye camp organised by a charitable organisation last month at Nanaksar, near Jagraon in Ludhiana district, once again raise the question whether such camps should be allowed. The Supreme Court, in a judgement delivered in February this year, had ordered that no eye operations should be performed in the field where operation theatre facilities did not exist. An out-patient department(OPD) camp was, however, permissible. The Punjab Government rules are also very clear in this respect and disallow any eye operations in schools, temples, gurdwaras etc. The Baba Lakha Singh Charitable Trust, which organised the controversial eye camp on October 2 to mark the Gandhi Jayanti at Gurdwara Nanaksar, according to press reports, had obtained the necessary permission from the Punjab health authorities. The camp where complications arose was the 10th in the series. The doctor who carried out the operations is a reputed Padma Shri awardee. He has blamed some vested interests for the entire controversy. The real picture will emerge only after an impartial inquiry. There are a few obvious questions that the inquiry ordered by the Punjab Health Department has to look into. One, it must establish the extent of damage: how many were actually affected and whether the alleged loss of vision is temporary or permanent. Two, whether the facilities were on a par with regular operation theatre. Three, whether the Ludhiana district health authorities had satisfied themselves about the arrangements before granting the permission for the eye camp.

There is no doubt that the intentions behind holding such eye camps are noble and well-meaning. The aim is to provide free or cheap eye care to the poor and needy persons who cannot afford the costly treatment in city hospitals. It also goes well with the community service efforts made by religious and charitable institutions. Eye specialists also like to pay back to society once a while by offering their expertise free of cost at such camps. That these camps draw large crowds speaks volumes about their popularity. Sometimes in handling the large number of patients all the necessary precautions are not taken care of. Doctors too try to treat a fairly large number of patients within the stipulated period. These aspects will also have to be borne in mind while holding the inquiry. In the present times, the doctor-patient relationship is fast changing. Aggrieved patients don’t hesitate to drag doctors to courts. Instead of blowing the controversy out of proportion, the health authorities should focus their attention on providing the best possible treatment to the unfortunate patients. The rest of the issues can be debated and settled later.

OPINION

Shameful record of broken promises
Whatever happened to one rank, one pension ?
Harwant Singh

THE demand for one rank, one pension (OROP) of the defence services is now over two decades old. The proposal has been buffeted around by the government in its innumerable deceptive and devious ways, including the palpably unjust, illogical and anomalies loaded. ‘One Time Increment.’ In the case of OROP, though the justness of the demand is accepted, but from time to time, the civilian employee case is mischievously injected to stymie the proposal. When confronted with the related issues, such as early retirement of service personnel, poor promotion prospects, hard and risk filled life etc vis-a-vis their civilian counterparts, it comes up with the stock argument of service conditions agreed upon on enrolment. This is an illogical and unsustainable stand of the government, because from even a purely legal angle, a palpably discriminatory and “one sided agreement” does not find favour in law.

In every other country in the world early retirement is compensated through enhanced pension. In the USA it is 75 per cent of the last pay drawn and this pension is fully protected against inflation. The average citizen is most conscious and demanding of his rights and the entire nation considers it the soldiers right and privilege to better pay, perks and pension as a reward for hard, risk-filled life and truncated career. Here, in India, the government takes shelter behind the imaginary parallel demands by the civil service employee, but its own obduracy and underlying prejudice against the defence services is invariably at play.

The justness of the demand for OROP has been universally acknowledged and accepted by all shades of political parties and even included in their election manifestos. Outside the election manifestos, successive Prime Ministers and the present Defence Minister have, on more than one occasion, publicly announced the implementation of OROP. To top it all, the President of the Republic of India, addressing a Joint Session of Parliament, committed to the grant of OROP. But the self-serving and all-powerful Indian babudom has made all these high dignitaries eat their word. Today OROP lies buried under the debris of a shameful record of broken promises.

The unjust and discriminatory dispensation for the defence services personnel extends to other areas as well. If it is a failure of the political executive to honour its commitments, it is equally a failing of the military high command to put up a determined fight for the legitimate rights of officers and men once under their command. After all OROP is applicable to only pre-1.1.1996 retirees and their number is constantly depleting. Consequently the financial effect of OROP will completely wear off once the last of them has disappeared from the scene.

In the central hall of the Indian Military Academy, is engraved General Chetwood’s famous commandment, enjoining upon the cadets being commissioned, to place the interest and welfare of their men (command) first, always and every time, over their own. It would be interesting to note that no such dictum or advice is on display at Britain’s own academy at Sandhurst. The British proffered this homily for the Indians, as they knew well the Indian character, its penchant for promoting self-interest above all else. After all, they were able to exploit these very Indian traits to first spread their empire (while a mere trading company) in India and later consolidate it. They also, rather successfully, practiced the policy of “divide and rule” in this country, but diligently avoided applying it to the defence services.

It is this fissiparous and corroding policy of “divide and rule”, which the Indian bureaucracy acquired and in fact, improved upon, to serve their own narrow ends, by applying it everywhere to the total detriment of long-term national interest. This policy is also employed on the defence services to break down their cohesiveness and camaraderie. How else to explain the grant of OROP to the ex service chiefs and the army commanders (and their equivalents in the IAF and the Indian Navy) leaving everyone else in the cold? It is some of these ex army commanders (and their equivalent in the IAF) who, disregarding the interest of everyone else, desperately pressed for their own cause and provided the opening the government was seeking to jettison the case of OROP.

Elsewhere, every one has been brought down in status, pay and allowances etc, except the three service chiefs and the army commanders (as also their equivalents in the IAF and the Indian Navy — only about two dozen of them out of a total of about 1.5 million defence services personnel) who have been left untouched by the Fifth Pay Commission. Incidentally, they are the only ones who can thump the table and make an issue of this case of gross injustice to those under their command. But no worthwhile protest emerged from the higher echelons of the defence establishment. Chetwood’s commandment demanded that they declined to accept the dispensation given to them by the Fifth Pay Commission till the same, at a corresponding scale, was granted to those under their command. The retaining of relative status quo in respect of pay and allowances for them was meant to ensure their silence and it worked admirably well. Their silence is deafening at the absurd situation where a Brigadier gets more pension than a Major-General.

In a recently held chat show on Star TV, concerning the unattractiveness of service in the officer rank of the armed forces, one of these retired worthies from the IAF, to the chagrin of rank and file, was seen singing paeans of the largesse the service gave him! It appeared to be no concern of his that of the few surviving comrades of his, over 90 per cent retired in the rank of Wing Commanders at an early age of 52 years and given no compensation for their early release except a meagre pension. He seemed to be unaware of the shortages in the fighter wing due to the lack of suitable young men wanting to join the IAF because of poor career prospects and high risk with no corresponding compensation available. In the army the situation is much worse as repeated postings to uncongenial and high altitude areas, long separation from families, turbulence in children’s education, running of two establishments, early retirement, very poor promotion prospects and low pensions makes the profession extremely unattractive. Consequently, the shortage of over 13,000 officers in the army persists.

When the option for higher retirement age was offered, the military high command rushed forward to grab it with both hands, regardless of the very adverse effect it was to have on the age profile of the army. This entirely selfish step has resulted in the aging of the defence services, more so the army where youthful profile and physical toughness are the imperatives of the service. The government itself should have offered due and corresponding compensation to the defence services personnel as it increased the retirement age of civilian government employees to 60 years.

Ninetynine point nine per cent of the defence forces personnel retire well before the age of 60 years; an age up to which every civilian government employee serves. Over 90 per cent of them retire between the ages of 35 and 56 years with over 80 per cent retiring at ages between 35 and 45 years. This early retirement is not compensated in any manner, whatsoever. If entry into the officer cadre of the defence services is the last preference of the youth of the country, the option for entry as a sepoy in the army comes after the central police organisations, state police and in fact, any government service at the level of a peon. All these unfortunate developments will, sure as day follows night, have serious consequences for the security of the country.

The infamous and grossly unjust 33 years conditionality continues to rankle the armed forces. The Fifth Pay Commission granted 50 per cent of pay as pension to only those with a qualifying service of 33 years. Since jawans, NCOs and 95 per cent of the JCOs are retired before they complete 33 years of service, they are not entitled to 50 per cent of pay as pension. Even five years dispensation does not come to their rescue. Thus a jawan is not only retired compulsorily after 17 years of service, but ends up getting a pension of only Rs 1250 pm instead of Rs 1975 pm at the lowest scale. A peon who, in the first place serves up to the age of 60 years, ends up getting a pension which is more than double the amount an army jawan gets. So it is a double whammy for the poor soldier, retired early and denied full pension. He is the same jawan who daily lays down his life, without demur, at Siachen, in J and K and the North East, fighting the country’s enemies.

Such treatment of the soldier is a gross violation of natural justice and equitable dispensation. Contrast this with the grant of 25 per cent hike in the salaries of NSG personnel after they lost just one man in the operation against the two holed up terrorists in the Swaminarayan temple in Gujarat. Consequent to this action the basic pay and DA of the NSG chief (whose command is just about 5000 men) has been increased to a level well beyond the emoluments of the armed forces chiefs. Presumably India’s wars, the Kargil operations and the daily toll elsewhere pale in front of the operation at the Swaminarayan temple where the NSG lost one man! Fortunately the IPS officers with the BSF, CRP, ITBP etc involved in fighting insurgency do not come in the line of fire of the insurgents! As against this, every other day a military officer and half a dozen army men die in J and K. That is the range of sacrifice and level of risk men and officers in olive green face and for which there is no recompense. Perhaps they are the children of a lesser God or have been forsaken by the Gods. In no other country in the world is a soldier given such stepmotherly treatment in matters of service conditions, pay and pension as the Indian soldier and his officers.

The writer is a retired Lt-General.

MIDDLE

Portrait of a lady
Suchita Malik

MY day starts with the trin... trin... trin... trin... sound of alarm clock putting our daily routine back onto rails. The hurried morning cup o’tea given way to the drab cycle of waking up the children, getting them ready in a rush, doing-up the tiffin and sending them packing to their car pools almost in a jiffy. Next, the hubby falls in line. He hasn’t done anything since morning except casting a favourable glance on the breakfast. Hardly has he been packed off to his office, and it is time for me to dash off to my college to be in time for the class lest the students call the day off for them and an embarrassing explanation in store for me.

Lunch-time is a hurried affair for everyone. The busy better-half has to rush back as usual to attend a meeting at 2.30 sharp in the office while the kids have to be coaxed into hurrying with their grub since this is the only time they can think of finishing a relevant part of their strenuous homework. If, perchance a guest happens to arrive at this time, the unwelcome visitor seems nothing less than a “Harlots’ Ghost”.

Even the customary afternoon time fails to bring the soothing but ever-evasive relaxation. There is tension of leaving one child to the baneful tuition-class while the other has to go for tennis coaching. In between, I try to catch up with the household marketing as well as bits and pieces of casement cloth, dustproof eraser, crepe paper, notebook, anchor thread, a tube of fevicol, paneer etc. The list is endless and has to be followed strictly like the Ten Commandments of the relentless teacher.

By the time I finish up with this boring ordeal, it is time to pick up one child from his itinerary and then the other. Come to think of it, the evening gets virtually reduced into a running spree with you as the driver behind the steering-wheel. What a fantastic way of spending an evening! All my ideas of going for a brisk walk through the nearby leisure valley or a quick workout at a health gym remain mere dreams in the face of unavoidable necessities for the unity, integrity and diversity of my family. Did Eve have a choice! Alas! No!

One hopes for a quiet, peaceful dinner-time after a hectic and busy day. But it is never far from the madding crowd! Far from it, it is the maddening imbroglio! The children are giving finishing touches to the map-work for geography homework for the next day, you want to catch up with the National Network News while the tangly telephone never ceases to stop. The ringing of its bell coincides with the sing-song door-bell and while your hand is at the receiver’s end, your foot wants to dash towards the door in the hope of seeing your hubby back. While the ‘sahib’ is on the wire instructing you not to wait for him for dinner as he is “held up” in the office, you end up welcoming a distant relative who has come to spend the night under your roof. The children howl at being neglected all this while and you shout at the domestic help for being late in serving the dinner.

The dinner fiasco somehow over, you think of the soothing sleep that will give you some relief. But no, that is not to be. You fret and fume with the next day’s agenda and make an attempt to go to sleep after a stressful day. The bell rings, crestfallen, the “sahib” arrives at last and finds you in a doleful mood, almost asleep. “Sleeping! How lucky...Yaa...r.! I have had a heavy day in the office. I wish I were a relaxing home-bird!” “I certainly don’t mind swapping places”, I blurt out almost in a whisper.

ON RECORD

A carrot-and-stick policy on militancy needed
Prashant Sood
Tribune News Service

A youthful leader on the horizon of Kashmir politics, Mehbooba Mufti has greatly contributed to the good showing of the People’s Democratic Party in the recent Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections and to the eventual coronation of her father, Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, as the Chief Minister. It was a call from Ms Mehbooba Mufti to Congress president Sonia Gandhi that led to the PDP and the Congress forming a coalition after the talks had almost broken down on the leadership issue.

Having made her political debut barely six years back as a Congress MLA, Ms Mehbooba Mufti is today a prominent leader of the State. One of the few MLAs to become leader of the Congress Legislature Party in the first term, she, however, quit the Congress and her seat in the assembly after her father, a veteran Congress leader, floated the People’s Democratic Party to provide a regional alternative to the National Conference. In the state plagued by violence, Ms Mehbooba Mufti, the eldest of the Mufti’s children, has striven to be with the victims, trying to provide a “healing touch.”

Excerpts of an exclusive interview given in New Delhi.

Q: What are the priorities of the Congress-PDP government?

Our priority is accountability, development and effective governance. We have made a good start and would like to consolidate it. We have been able to do something about power supply, which has been appreciated by the people. But our problem is how to continue with it. The cost that we are paying for power supply is very high. I have met Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani and told them that they will have to help us in a big way in the power sector. Then, there are a number of villages without basic facilities and even those with network are not well provided in terms of power, water, medical amenities and schools. Unemployment is a big problem and we are hoping that the Centre would come to our rescue. I have requested the Centre that if on the pattern of the North-East, they could raise some local battalions in Jammu and Kashmir, then youth would find jobs. With the passage of time, these forces could start taking over security duties from the para-military forces. There has been a lot of corruption in Jammu and Kashmir and the whole system is rotten. Since corruption starts from the top, we have promised a commission in our manifesto which brings even the Chief Minister under its purview. In the past few days, we held pending board meetings in the districts to clear the plans. Unlike the past, the decisions of board meetings will be implemented in toto.

Q: Why did the PDP insist on heading the coalition government?

It is much easier for us to implement the Common Minimum Programme without having to answer it in every nook and corner of the country. The Congress being a national party has its own concerns. We being a regional party can take certain steps with which the Congress may not be comfortable at some point even though these will be in national interest. See how the issue of release of militants is being exploited at the time of the Gujarat elections. Yasin Malik and Syed Ali Geelani were released by the BJP-led government. Aziz Sheikh was not only released but his visit to Pakistan was facilitated by the government. But the issue is being raised now to put the Congress in the dock. There is a need to address the feeling of alienation in Kashmir. And for that the PDP is the answer as people have put their faith in this party and they feel that the party is in a position to deliver on certain emotional issues also.

Q: How does the government propose to tackle the problem of militancy?

There has to be a carrot-and-stick policy. If you are fighting the militants, you should also take care that you are not alienating the majority community. I don’t think it is worth it that you alienate hundreds of people to catch a militant. It is more a question of addressing the alienation of masses in the State, specially in the Valley. Kashmiris are basically peace-loving people. Wherever you see in the world, people support an issue but no one wants violence. But because of certain alienation they get a moral ground. If you are able to address the problem in all its dimensions — political, emotional, economic.... that’s also a way to deal with militancy. Give a healing touch. The family should not be punished or harassed for deeds of a militant. The family should not be treated as if it is responsible for the action of the youth who has taken to the gun. That’s what has been happening till now. We want to put a stop to that.

Q: Given your stand on POTA, there is apprehension among the security forces about the new government’s approach to tackling militancy?

For the last six years starting from arming the surrendered militants, creation of the Special Operations Group, implementing POTA, hot pursuit, pro-active policy....every harsh measure has been taken to tackle militancy in Jammu and Kashmir but with no results. In fact, militancy has spread to those areas where it was not in evidence before 1996. And these measures from the very start look anti-people. They have not only added to the alienation but has given the impression that something very harsh is going to happen.... So we are gambling with pro-people measures. God forbid, if we are not successful with pro-people measures, we will at least not be alienating people. We will gain their confidence... we will get something in return. We will not be put on the defensive. People would say that this government tried. No sensible government would like to jeopardise the security of its people at any cost. We are very much aware of the concerns of the security forces. It does not mean that we should go to the rooftops and shout about it.

Q: Will the new government continue the talks on autonomy with the Centre?

No decision has been taken yet. The state Cabinet will decide how to go about it.

Q: What has been the approach of the Centre towards the demands of the new state government?

They understand our problems. They understand that we need big economic help if we want to consolidate whatever goodwill we have been able to generate there. I think they should be able to accommodate us. After some days, our Finance Minister is going to be in New Delhi and the state government will seek an economic package both in the short and long terms. A short-term package could be for the next 100 days and a long-term one for the next year and more.

Q: Why did you not join the new ministry?

I would like to be more available to people and keep the communication open. This is not possible once you are in a ministry. Then you have a department to look after and it entails a lot of involvement and left with little time to communicate with your people.

Q: Will the ministry be expanded?

That’s what we understand because at present there are only eight ministers. State ministers have to be appointed and there are departments to be allotted.

Q: Will there be a cap on the number of ministers?

A: The National Conference government had about 30 ministers. Although we will like to keep the numbers to the minimum, we also have to understand that there are a number of independents supporting the government besides the Congress, the CPM, and the Panthers Party.

Q: There has been an apprehension over your stand on the Special Operations Group.

We want to assimilate them with the State police so that there is more accountability among them and, at the same time, they also get a chance to be part of that force which is not hated by the people. They also have to survive and live beyond this turmoil. However, in all these years they have acquired a kind of stigma. After the elections, when it became evident that the PDP would form a government, there’s been a change in the behaviour of the SOG. It was automatic. If you go to Srinagar, you will find that there is a general feeling of relaxation among people as far as the SOG is concerned. It is good.

REFLECTIONS

It is social environment that produces rapists
Kiran Bedi

ONE question being repeatedly asked is: why are the rapes on the increase? And why are they happening? And why is the police not able to prevent them?

My simple answer is: why will rapes not increase? What are we doing to prevent what causes rapes? What kind of young men (I do not mean all) are we producing anyway? One third of the city of Delhi lives in the slums - - - - - and if one has seen the life in the slums one can clearly see for oneself what the little boy or girl of today there is likely to be when he and she is an adolescent. Slums are today nurseries of delinquency, bad habits, violence, exploitation, illiteracy, unemployment, starvation for sex, depravity, prostitution and what not. For girls it is early motherhood, ignorant parenting and excessive child bearing. There is rampant prevalence of alcoholism, drug abuse, drug peddling, gambling at home or neighbourhoods with loan sharking as huge business. Bonded labour exists right under our nose.

These observations are not from a textbook but based on field work in the slums. These slums are least attended by any Government agency from any point of view — be it education, cleanliness, health care, employment, civic services or crime prevention. Every inch of these sprawling slums has children loitering around, not knowing what to do the whole day. They gamble, pick garbage, sell plastic, watch adult cinema, indulge in sexual activities, peddle drugs, drink alcohol, eat pan, pick pockets, burgle houses, sell goods to kabariwallas, go collect food on Tuesdays from Hanuman Mandirs, drink alcohol at Bhairon Mandir etc.

So what kind of boys will come out of these dwelling? No parenting, no schools, no social controls, a crime-infested population. And rapes happen here, rapists are here, and victims are here too, but little is reported from here. Whatever is reported is about urban middle classes who too have their own kind of nurseries but this large underbelly gets no media attention, for its poor, faceless, powerless girls.

Also the impression and almost a reality has sunk within the society that girls/women will absorb, suffer and not report—due to shame, sense of victimisation, social taboo, long trials, cross-examination harassment, witness harassment, rights of the accused, delayed prosecution, crowded courts with repeated adjournments and fresh dates etc.

While writing this piece there has been news on how a panchayat in Jabalpur put a price tag as redemption for a rape case by asking the accused to pay up Rs. 2,000 and be let off - - - - and then got sweets distributed as a celebration. The victim, this time, did not give up and went to the police - - - - and that is how the panchayat justice (sic) came to light.

I am personally aware of many legal compromises in rape cases in courts in a North-East State where I had a posting. The judges themselves brought these about and let off the accused by minor punishment—and at times even made the rapist and the victim get married to each other. A bizarre form of justice - - - .

From slums to villages to urban areas, educated or uneducated?. How are they different? What are the youngsters exposed to - - everything, other than values, considered out-fashion, outdated and impractical. Directionless youth is on extravagance, high on tantalising entertainment, beer pubs, speed thrills, advertisements with bare minimum clothing on men or women, music which is almost an embarrassing gyrating body exposure!

Hence, what kind of young men will the above environment produce? For every one rapist arrested, there are many waiting on roads, footpaths, abandoned buildings, night shelters and prowling cars or flashing mobikes.

Can the police prevent these? Rape is a crime of a psychopath who is desperate for sex. He is a starved hungry brute. For him a woman is an object of lust. He is therefore on the prowl and takes his chances. He with his juniors/accomplices executes the criminal act. He fully knows he can get away with it. He knows the victim will only grieve, regret, withdraw and also clamp down. With no one to tell what the victim even looks like, the same rapist plans his next victim.

Arrest and prosecution of these cases require information, identification, connecting forensic and medical evidence, with willingness and courage to depose - - - and suffer the repeated dates and cross-examination by defence lawyers.

When society produces more Ravanas than the police can catch and the courts can punish—the real Ravanas know that one Dasehra is only symbolic.

What we need is a whole concerted mindset of respecting the dignity of women and this becoming integral to our whole way of living and thinking. Respect for a woman is not in isolation. It is integral to respect for values in society and the manner in which these are treasured and translated into day-to-day behaviour.

Rapes are symptoms of our over all decadence. If we want to reverse the situation we shall have to readdress ourselves whoever we are and wherever we may be. This excludes no one. Here and now.

SIGHT & SOUND

Statistics or quality?
Amita Malik

WHEN my generation started off on its media careers, one of the golden rules dinned into us was: Don’t throw statistics at the listener or viewer, they simply don’t register so quickly and bore them.

In the current “I was first and we have the highest viewership race”, DD is leading the statistics race by flashing comparative figures of its viewing figures and those of the satellite channels. After reminding DD about that golden rule, may I also mention two other riders. First that DD has a captive terrestrial audience of viewers who cannot afford satellite TV. Maybe there should be comparisons of viewership figures of DD’s satellite channel and those of its competitors, leaving out the terrestrial.

That would be interesting. Also, DD must make up its mind once and for all to compete in quality rather than quantity with the vast backing of the government which is still very much in evidence as can be proved by the DD Bharati channel which could not possibly have run on advertisements alone. Anyway I persuaded myself to watch some DD programmes. For a start, I tuned in to Kitaab ki Duniya, last week, it was The World of Books in English. And guess who was the author — none other than Mr S.S. Gill, ex-CEO of Prasar Bharati who is an author in his own right and extremely articulate as well. The interviewer was editor Dileep Padgaonkar, an interviewer in his own right and it predictably led to good conversation, the main focus being on Mr Gill’s latest book, which is on the timely focus of Corruption. I had a feeling that this was a repeat broadcast, since the book was widely reviewed in the Press some time ago.

What I found pleasurable and different viewing compared with my obsession with news was two programmes by musicians which illustrated showmanship at its very best. The first was a spirited and musically exciting recital on the stage by singer Abhijeet, whom I have not heard before. He was a revelation as a TV artiste.

Not only did he sing beautifully but he held the stage and the audience with verve, in spite of some needless intrusions by Ruby Bhatia. The woman singer who accompanied Abhijeet looked grim and nervous throughout although she sang well, but the contrast with Abhijeet’s style and superb showmanship acted as a bit of a damper. Also in several programmes on Star News and also on Zee’s Jeena isi ka Naam Hai was Adnan Sami a beautiful singer who sheds his weight like magic when in full flow, articulate and a first-rate showman.

But I regret to say that this programme has suffered badly with the absence of Farooque Sheikh. Suresh Oberoi tries too hard, his heavy voice and lack of facial mobility makes his whole approach ponderous and contrived, unlike Farooque’s easy going and relaxed manner.

TAIL-PIECE: With DD trying desperately to improve its image through hectic PR, I will cite only one example of why it can be so exasperating to viewers.

Every day, the newspaper columns printing the TV programmes for the day for all channels start off with a list of feature films for the day on all satellite channels — national and foreign. Some list the cast and give a small synopsis. Not so DD. All that it bas to offer is a bleak “Feature Film” against a particular timing on its channels. Well, how do they expect viewers to find out, let alone watch their feature films?

SPIRITUAL NUGGETS

Blessed with the knowledge of impending transition, we settle affairs and take refuge in japa, worship, scripture and yoga — seeking the highest realisations as we consciously, joyously release the world.

Satguru Sivay Subramuniyaswami

***

— Sudarshan Kumar Biala, Yoga for Better Living and Self Realisation