Skewed social mindset
Fact is, indeed, stranger than fiction. Many a sleazy potboiler would pale in comparison to the sexual assault of schoolgirls by the principal-owner of a private school near Nangal in Punjab over a decade and the scandalous goings-on around it. The case is replete with evil ingredients and trappings of the horrific reality that large sections of our society still, unfortunately, live in. Since it came to light in mid-February and the arrest of the accused, the story unraveled so far — it is still under investigation by a special team — points to a web of heinous transgressions. Significantly painful is the preference of the victims and their families to keep the abuse hush-hush.
The case throws up multiple layers of crime: sexual abuse, misuse of power over employees and students, threats and blackmails with photos and videos made of the sexual acts, drugging of victims, influential political links and connivance. There is even an interesting sub-plot: of the accused principal being further blackmailed for money by an associate in possession of incriminating visuals. The fact that the crime was not quite hidden raises a question mark on the law-enforcement authorities’ functioning.
However, what is of more concern is the dark context of our social and psychological reality that enables the continuation of this monstrosity. But for the spilling of the beans by a third person — a social activist and independent contestant in the Punjab Assembly poll fray — who lodged a complaint with the police, the assault would have gone on, hidden behind secrecy. Despite education and economic progress, this case sadly projects that our social mindset remains tightly rooted to the belief of ‘shame’ around rape and a misplaced sense of ‘honour’. Standing up for the victimised adolescent girls and encouraging them to speak up against the rapist, instead of suppressing the wrong done to them, only encouraged him to become a serial criminal. The support of families and societies in exposing such incidents is as vital as swift and exemplary justice in crime deterrence. These acts are also the best salve to heal the trauma assailing the victims.
