Shameful Delhi

A woman is raped in the Indian capital every 24 hours and, in an overwhelming majority of cases registered by police in the last six months, the rapists were known to the victims.

So why are there so many rapes in Indian National Capital, is a question that haunts me quite often. It is not that men in Delhi have this uncontrollable libido, nor it is the case that the police here is too tolerant about such acts. For the first few months that such acts of barbarism increased in Delhi, I, like most other people, thought it was a coincidence that the acts increased rapidly. And then it became a monthly issue. To think about it, there are several factors that may have caused such circumstances to exist in Delhi.

First and foremost, it is the size of the city surrounded by elements of rural Haryana and Rajasthan. People may call me a bastard, but they know what people from these two states are capable of. The BPO boom led to more jobs and it meant more expatriates from surrounding states. It is not just a coincidence that the last four out of five rape accused were from Haryana or Rajasthan. Drivers continuously being subjected to partial nudity in their night shifts, uneducated and tolerant people from smaller suburbs and many daily-wage workers in Delhi still think that a girl is giving them hints if she wears a tube top and a short skirt. It is worse if they can spot a small part of women underwear, and their eyes just stick out.
Areas such as Janakpuri that are now bustling with modern-fashioned girls are surrounded by Navada and Hasttal where women still are sari clad and cover their faces on the very sight of a man. Areas such as Dwarka where property cost is touching all time high has this strange and weird rowdy element of Haryana that is so hard to accept. And Gurgaon was never considered safe after 8 pm.

And if that was not enough, Delhi is big. Delhi is huge with large by-lanes, dark corners, shady streets and no police coverage. Delhi is turned into a jungle. You need to know what happens where. Or rather, where can you do what. You want booze after 10 pm, girls to spend night with, hash for a typical joint, place to park your car and drink in open, Delhi has appetite for all. Talk about dark roads in Malviya Nagar, or shady corners around Janakpuri and Munirka, you name it the city offers you a place for everything. The city’s police with embarrassing efficiency, understandably, cannot cover every nook and corner of Delhi, and therefore cannot protect you from such incident happening if you are at a wrong place at a wrong time.

And what people don’t understand is the loss in revenue for the city with each rape. Increase in crime records, shame for the city so great and living amidst unlivable conditions is not what I am worried about. It is the closure of 24 Hr coffee shops in Saket and Green Park that were almost full after midnight and closure of most pubs and restaurants an hour before midnight is what I am worried about. Not only does it not allow people to go have a good time at night, it cuts down heavy revenues that shops and restaurants were earning for their clientèle at night. Few years ago when a swiss national was raped around Sri Fort area, Barista coffee shop at Green Park was ordered to shut down at 11 pm. And then I happened to read in newspaper about Delhi Police’s version of the story. They think the predators wait in such coffee shops for their prey. And if that was not entertaining enough, Delhi Police after a recent rape in Piragarhi area passed a rule against window tinting in cars. Delhi being a hot, hot city was forced to let go of the 30% tint protection for their cars. It not only meant loss of revenue for such shops selling tint products, but also increase in petrol consumption. Air-conditioned cars now were no longer protected against direct sunlight, and it meant running that small AC in front panel for a longer time. Come June, when Sun will be at its mighty best, ACs will merely turn into coolers.

I honestly believe that rape acts in Delhi cannot be contained by removing tinted glasses from cars and shutting down shops at 11 pm. It is the street lights and better police coverage that is required to tackle such issues. The police needs to be sensitive about general livable conditions in Delhi and act accordingly. So much so for increase in rapes.