Rant 17: A crying shame

On the 15^th of April, news broke, in the most scandalous of fashions, of six boys, from reputed colleges in Mumbai, who raped a student from the US, pursuing her studies at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. The first story was on the front page, Times of India, Bombay edition. The first picture is particularly damning. A youth with his head covered, and a policeman holding this head. Several hands are seen around, possibly of the huge media circus. The first caption too adds to the drama, “Dastardly Crime”. This story has since then been republished online with several tasty comments to follow. The first comment for example on one of the online renditions, started with “Animals…”

Why all this affected me so, is because the first two names given as suspects (Vinamra Soni and Jaskaran Singh Bhullar) are two very good friends of mine, batch-mates in our school years. I have known them for the better part of twelve years, and have seen them as they are, just your typical school ka gunda with the big heart (reserved in big dose for the ladies). The bully image aside, I have myself traveled with Jaskaran to many a school fest in Lucknow and thus can tell you with absolute certainty that he has the biggest and kindest heart for women. I still remember how jealous the rest of us were of him at those after-parties still dressed in our uniforms from the fest in the mornings. Anyways, the point is that from the myriad of phone calls I have made and received since this news broke, not a single batch mate of mine ever expected something like this happening. We have literally seen these guys grow up, and the shock is still settling in.

Not least because of the latest evidence in this story. The victim’s statement. If the supreme court order is to be taken, then as of today the victim’s word is the final statement, medical tests notwithstanding. Thus the victim’s story, told in excruciating detail, tells of the initial party and it goes something along the lines of, Was taken to a party by friends (Vinamra and Jaskaran); met more people at club; was pressured to drink, I did; was told to try LSD, I didn’t; was told to smoke a joint, I didn’t. After clubbing, she claims she rode off with Jaskaran and Vinamra in an auto to get dropped off to meet another friend. But the other members of this party allegedly re-routed the auto to a flat in Andheri. It is here that she describes how first Vinamra, then Jaskaran made their sexual advances. After that she apparently doesn’t remember a thing and wakes up to find herself raped and sleeping next to the boys.

The story is not over yet. She goes with two of the boys to buy contraceptives and then goes back to her hostel to blow the whistle on them. Somehow, there is a missing link somewhere.

Anyways, the TV channels have of course made sure of their air time in the most inane of fashions. Where the print edition at least attempted to draw a conclusion based on facts, the Times Now piece for example, is nothing better than the Arushi-Noida saga, or any other news-soap that we see today. The piece itself is just a picture of Vinamra and Jaskaran (given an alias Karan, that is perhaps even more damning, media-wise) and it could well be any two of our batch-mates enjoying at a party. However, skilful editing meant, the two were virtually “framed” up between 100 size font headlines of CO-CONSPIRATORS etc and the usual crawlers giving up-to-the-minute “updates” on the story. Fast switching zooms and the red-circle, if not for which the Indian public would never be able to make out the accused person’s face in a chest level photograph taken with a digital camera. Let’s not forget priceless quotes from the victim flashing up every 2 minutes or so.

Another interesting aspect that is funny to the point of sickening me now, is that on the top right corner of the picture is a stamp size portrait of a person similar looking to Vinamra. The red circle and the zoom didn’t miss that. To an average viewer it may well look like the third CO-CONSPIRATOR (lol, I just love saying that heavy now!). However, TRP zest is no excuse for pinning someone’s younger brother as a rape accused. He studied in the same school as us, a few grades lower. That’s it. Please use your discretion wisely when viewing such “News” pieces. Someone giving a highly constipated look (this funny picturisation, courtesy, http://invalidsearch.blogspot.com/2007/07/most-traumatic-experience-of-my-life.html) and telling you about these CO-CONSPIRATORS, about what a bad thing they’ve done, is just one side of the silver coin that is the Indian Media Circus.

No one is denying that this “Dastardly crime” has happened. Let’s be rational in meting out punishment.