What an extremely short memory span
we human beings have.
Something happens somewhere or the other
that provokes public interest and there is a hue and cry. Without even being invited,
thousands jump on the bandwagon. Social media goes berserk. Television news
anchors have a field day and TRP ratings soar. The newspapers give the item top
billing and tensions overflow. The topic is everywhere, and the citizens are
awestruck.
How, why, and where did it happen? Who
witnessed it? Could it have been prevented? How do we know it will not happen
again? Innumerable questions, plenty of rumours and no concrete answers are usually
how these scenarios play out.
Suddenly, any and everybody becomes
an authority on the matter and there are comments, quotes, data, suggestions, solutions
and what have you.
And then – something new and
sensational takes place, and the old case is either forgotten, or conveniently
put on the back burner.
There are probably hundreds of such incidents,
but I will refer to just a few which I can recollect immediately- in no particular
order.
The first case that comes to mind is
the Noida double murder and by this I refer to the unsolved murders of
13-year-old girl and a 45-year-old, male, live-in domestic worker, employed
by her family. What happened and why - who murdered them? It was a bizarre
story with gory details. If I recall rightly,
the parents of the girl became suspects and were behind bars for some time –
then they were released as no case could be proved against them. The case
started with a bang and ended with a whimper.
Suddenly there was silence - What thereafter?
What of the well-known Bollywood actor
who apparently committed suicide? Even
before his last rites could be performed, the case was the talk of the country.
The actor’s name was sullied in the bargain and so many family members, friends
and colleagues and well-wishers were dragged into the limelight – many probably
for no fault at all. There were claims and counter claims, witnesses for and against
various people, and the case went off on innumerable tangents. The net was
spread far and wide and everyone waited with bated breath for the conclusion. It was such a sensational matter, and the
country was divided. Was it suicide or murder? What a commotion and what insane
drama ensued.
Then suddenly there was silence – What thereafter?
Do you remember this? It was 12:42
a.m. on the quiet, moonlit night of March 8, 2014, a Boeing 777 operated
by Malaysia Airlines took off from Kuala Lumpur and turned toward Beijing,
climbing to its assigned cruising altitude of 35,000 feet. The flight number
was 370. Then without warning, the plane went missing. The newspapers could not
get enough and there were all sorts of theories. Experts say they have located the MH370 crash site and are investigation . However,
the remains of the 239 passengers and
crew on board were never found and are presumed dead. However, no one is
sure.
After
all the high drama, suddenly there was silence – what thereafter?
Then there are the multitude of rapes
in India. Young women, old grandmothers, newlywed brides, school going girls
and even babies are assaulted, raped and often brutally murdered.
The cases hit the headlines, and everyone is
filled with an immense amount of indignation. Anger boils over, morchas are
taken out, politicians visit the family, other political parties are blamed, speeches
are made & compensation is offered.
Meanwhile elsewhere, there are riots, vehicles are burnt, roads are blocked, shop
windows are smashed, and police stations are torched. Promises are made by all
and sundry that they will catch and convict the killers. Then, suddenly,
completely out of the blue, we hear of arrests of some of the rapists while
others are yet to be traced – this is the common language always used. We are
not even sure if the ones who are caught are the actual culprits, or just
scapegoats who will remain in jail till the heat is off. You never hear of
those who got away as they vanish without a trace. At times the accused is a high-profile
person, and we are told that justice will prevail – come what may.
People then demand the death penalty
while the case drags on for months and at times years. Key witnesses die of old
age, meet with strange accidents, commit suicide, are done away with, bought
off and sometimes withdraw the cases. Whether it is the intervention or
pressure by people in high places the cases then just fizzle out. Gradually
interest wanes & no one knows or cares as to what happens in the end.
I may have referred to India but
this is something which happens all over the world without exception .
Everyone seemingly gets amnesia till
the next human interest case surfaces .We human beings thrive on sensationalism
& love to start, afresh don’t we?
1 comment:
Sir, I don't think we (most of us) thrive on sensationalism but after some time the results of such cases makes us numb and we continue with the rigmarole of daily life.
Till the next case happens and again shocks us from our humdrum existence. The problem is that historically the speed at which justice has been served in such cases has been so slow that most of have lost any hope in the judiciary and the only emotions we have when we see such cases is anger and disgust for the perpetrators and sadness for the bereaved.
And just one hope - "I hope this never happens to someone close to me".
I guess I sound very cynical but just being brutally honest.
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