Meerut Gang Rape - Thank God She Was a Hindu

Meerut Gang Rape has more implications than you can imagine. But I for one am very happy that the girl was a Hindu. Oh no, I'm not a Muslim. I'm not even a complete Hindu. I'm one of those who are going to take some time before they end up categorizing their Gods.

So now that you have already judged me as per your own naive perceptions, let me insert my opinion on this shameful incident. Some of you have not even educated yourself on this topic yet. After all, your favorite TV 'news' (pun intended)channels failed to air this story. Maybe they missed out on covering just another rape. Or maybe there's more to the Meerut Gang Rape. We'll find out.

But first, let me narrate the incident to you. A girl in the city of Meerut, India, was allegedly kidnapped, beaten, raped, and was even forced to convert. Wait! Let me write that again subtracting the tone of secularism. A Hindu girl in Meerut, India, was kidnapped, beaten, raped, and forced to convert to Islam. How does that sound? If your offerings go into a mosque, I'm sure you'll either stop reading now or you'll start judging/crucifying me. But if your offerings & prayers are delivered to a temple, chances are that you'll continue reading with a gush of anger & aggression. This is what religion does to us. This is what they use against us.

We live in a country inundated with minorities. More than the number of minorities, it is the sickening insecurity which can be seen bubbling over and about. Hindus in India have never felt outnumbered. If they have, they've been quick to change that notion. Even Christians, Jews (handful), Sikhs, and Buddhists have never really felt that pinch of insecurity emanating out of their minority status. But when it comes to Muslims, and I'm not generalizing as most of my dear friends are Muslims, they tend to get carried away quite easily. They forget that injustice & misfortune latches on to you irrespective of your religion, region, caste, sex, race, or ethnicity. If the Indian Hindus really wanted the Muslims out, it would take them less than a month to force them out. But no, that's not India. Friends, that's not us. We've lived in harmony for centuries and have displayed immense courage & co-operation in adapting to changing times and cultures. Why let a few political scumbags run away with our peace?

Now why am I so concerned about the religion of this ill fated girl? How does it matter to me? Or to you for that matter? Yes she's a Hindu. So what? To be very honest, you know the answer yourself.

Now, had this girl been a Muslim, riots would've been unavoidable and unstoppable. Selfish and opportunist political commentary would've been inescapable. An avalanche of global remarks would've been expected. And a wave of hatred against Hinduism was sure to follow. But no, none of that fell in place this time. Why? And how? The answer, unfortunately, lies in the religion of this poor soul. She was a Hindu and thus could not be exploited properly.The government forced itself upon all mediums to let this issue pass. The girl was kidnapped. The girl was raped. She was beaten and then forced to convert to Islam. She was kept in a Madarsa in Muzzafarnagar for five days. But all this fails to impress our lords as her religion does not require media & political bull-whacking. Can anyone explain this behavior? Can anyone disagree with me when I say that the same case would've made headlines for weeks had the victim been a Muslim? No you can't.

A while back, a Shiv Sena MP, fed up with the poor quality of food being served by IRCTC, tried to force feed one of the supervisors. The MP didn't even ask the supervisor about his religion. When the MP came to know that the supervisor was a Muslim and was observing Roza, he immediately apologized. The media did everything it could to garner TRPs. They blew this small incident way out of proportions and even started a debate on secularism and its presence in India. The scene was similar to that of Aamir Khan's 'Peepli Live'. The media acted like a clown and those who could see through the vast veil of bullshitt, laughed their heart out. A couple of days back, Indian railways fined 9 caterers for unhygienic and poor quality of food. A cockroach was found in a meal provided in a Rajdhani. IRCTC was one of the caterers fined. The media let this incident pass unnoticed. Yes, we're all ashamed of the Indian media.

Though I'm really surprised that people are blaming the media for not covering the Meerut Gang Rape. What's wrong with you guys? What do you expect? Do you expect anything at all from today's media houses? They're all profit based entities functioning on the directions of several interested parties. Were you on Mars all this time? Journalism died a slow and painful death in the last decade. Yes, they murdered journalism with smiling faces and fattening bank balances.

If you switch on your TV hoping to watch news, then kindly change the channel and watch a mindless sitcom instead. And if you unfold your daily morning newspaper expecting news stories, hen please fold it back after reading the comic strips. They're all filled with paid opinions. None of them carry news in its truest form. Media is a pet. It has been reduced to a tool. Media today is a medium for selfish endeavors. Again, I'm not generalizing. There are a few journalists who bend their backs and practice the true form of journalism. I know one such journalist and have worked with him. With an experience of more than 30 years, he warned me about the pathetic state of today's media. And I must say, he was spot on with his observations.