Can we expect justice from Modi who protects a rapist?

I was immensely saddened to read an article in DailyO written by the mother of the brave girl who was raped and killed on the streets of Delhi on December 16, 2012. She wants to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and request him to launch a drive against crime. The drive against any evil is a great idea. But the prime minister or the government should not be expected to do this. Our country already has a proper legal system; there are agencies to enforce law and order. The mandate of the government is to ensure these agencies work. But these things can’t be achieved simply by doing a “mann ki baat”, as our prime minister is used to. Instead of launching a drive against crimes, Modi must first focus on fixing the flaws in the system. The drive against crime must be left to people outside the political system.

But more importantly, the prime minister has no moral right to start a drive against crime and criminals. There are 13 ministers in his Cabinet against whom several cases, including a charge of rape, are pending in various courts of the country. The honourable Supreme Court has passed a directive saying that the prime minister and chief minister must take care that people with criminal background are not included in the Cabinet. I understand, as political activists, we often get political cases registered against us and that should not be a criterion to ruin a political career. But there is a distinction between political and heinous crimes such as rape. But our prime minister has continued with a rape accused for last seven months. When the first UPA government came, this BJP government launched a campaign against “tainted ministers”, inside and outside Parliament. But after coming to power, they have taken a diametrically opposite stand.

If the braveheart’s mother is expecting any action from the prime minister, Modi must first clean his own house. A Jaipur court has issued summons to Union minister Nihalchand who is accused in a rape case. But the Rajasthan police says he is not traceable. He is living in an official bungalow in Delhi, he is seen regularly in Parliament and yet the prime minister and police can’t find him. Is not this a joke?

Such attitude of the government emboldens criminals like the Uber cab driver, who are actually less than human. People with such criminal mindsets will always be there in our society. It’s the responsibility of the law enforcing agencies to control them. The Uber cab driver was a habitual criminal. He had a criminal past. Yet he got police clearance. This shows a lapse in the system. However, it’s also wrong to assume that an efficient and foolproof verifying system will ensue that there will be no crime ever. It’s impractical to imagine that suddenly crimes will vanish from our society. I know I’m making a politically incorrect statement and will be hounded for this. But that’s the hard truth.

That doesn’t mean we do nothing. What’s the role of a civilised society? It’s to discourage crime and criminals. The primary duty of the law enforcing agencies is not to catch the criminals but to scare them away from committing any crime at the first place. The prime minister sits at the top of our political and executive system. Criminals in the country must fear this system. But if the executive head of the country patronises a rape accused, what can we expect from the legal and political system of the country?