Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi/ Bhandara: While the failure of the police to find any lead in the rape and murder of three minor sisters in Bhandara district of Maharashtra is a cause of concern, what is more disturbing is the lack of nationwide support ; the case may just go unnoticed.
While thousands of people had protested on streets of Delhi and other parts of the country to support the Delhi braveheart, the heart wrenching story of the three girls aged 11, 9 and 6 who were raped, murdered and their bodies dumped in a well has found very little space in the media or from the aam aadmi.
Post-mortem revealed that the girls were raped and sodomised before being killed.
Apart from localised protests in their village near Lakhni town in Bhandara, no mass protests have been held anywhere to seek justice for the children
Their destitute mother is fighting a lonely battle. She has rejected the government’s compensation offer of Rs 10 lakhs and wants the money be used to find the culprits.
The simmering anger has brought in politicians of all hues, while some want death for rapists; others are demanding strict action against the culprits. In all this, the fear that those who are powerful and can make a change will lose interest before the girls get justice is real.
The National Human Rights Commission has now issued a notice to Maharashtra chief secretary demanding to know the reasons behind the delay in registering a case and ordering post-mortem.
The Centre too has taken notice of the crime and asked the state government as to why no arrests have been made even after a week. "It's a state matter. but we will ask for a report on why no arrests have been made so far. We are committed to ensuring safety of women," Minister of State (Home) RPN Singh said.
However, the big question remains: Are crimes against women in rural areas, away from glitzy cities, given the importance that they deserve? The India outside big cities is real too but do voices from there destined to be always muted?
First Published: Friday, February 22, 2013, 10:02