Ensure women's safety = Ignore men's safety?

Recently Maharashtra Home Minister R R Patil assured all women journalists that the Government would provide them special security when they are out on their job.

Sounds like a populist measure dreamt up without considering the root cause of why crime in the society is on the rise.

Go through the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report which states that ‘crimes against men are increasing rapidly' and more than 75% of murders reported in this country are against men.

Take a look at the Murder rate of Men vs Women:

Murder: http://ncrb.nic.in/CII-2009-NEW/cii-2009/Table%203.3.pdf

Male Victims-24,441, Female Victims-8,718 Total Victims-33,159

Culpabale Homicide Not Amounting To Murder (Sec.304 and 308 IPC) During 2009

http://ncrb.nic.in/CII-2009-NEW/cii-2009/Table%203.4.pdf

Male Victims=3,529, Female Victims=753 Total Victims=4282

Now we wonder, can a society provide safety to women, while men themselves are not safe? The NCRB report summarized the data of crimes against women and children, but they did not provide any details of crimes against men.

Since 2005, we have been providing the crime and murder data compiled by the NCRB to the Government, but they fed it to the bins as media never showed any concern over the safety of men, which is a need of society.

If you go through the report of "Committee to protect Journalists " and click on Gender, it clearly mentions that 97% of the journalists killed were men.

On August 24th, a Journalist from UP, Mr. Akhilesh, was killed. But there was hardly any protest from the journalists associations or any candlelight vigils by common people of society.

I am really not surprised given the biased approach prevalent in every institution. We have death penalty for murder, but the cases are increasing day by day. It is evident beyond reasonable doubt that increasing the punishment alone won’t help in reducing crime.

When someone commits a crime, what are the chances that he gets caught? Currently the number stands at 10 to 15 per cent on an average.Today the police can trap any innocent law abiding citizen in criminal cases but fails to catch the real criminal for months/years.

Once a criminal is caught the law punishes him for 10 to 12 years and if someone wants to prove his innocence it takes 10 to 12 years. So, the root cause is the failure of our criminal justice system and the police.

More stringent laws mean more power to police/judiciary, which could lead to abuse of power and more corruption. The failure of police to provide safety to Indian men never gets highlighted.

All women activists/media are running behind the women safety issue, like in a desert desperately trying to find a mirage.

History itself states that where men are not safe, dreaming of safety for women is nothing but fooling yourself.

Safety/violence is never a gender issue. Media friends must also understand the pain of a woman when she loses her brother or son or father.

 

https://www.saddahaq.com/politics/mumbairapehorror/does-women-safety--ignore-men-safety 

Send that ‘stick’ for forensic test, demands Om Puri

The official version says that Om Puri is 'absconding' after estranged wife Nandita filed a police complaint accusing him of domestic violence. But TOI tracked down the actor to quiz him about his headline grabbing personal life. Excerpts from the interview.

Your estranged wife Nandita has accused you of physical violence...
She has gone to town saying that I hit her with a stick. Pray, who keeps sticks at home? There is a bamboo cane at home, a decorative item purchased by Nandita. I am ready to send that for forensic tests. She complained to the cops at 4.30 pm claiming that I had beaten her up at 9.30 am. What made her wait for seven hours?

Are you seeking anticipatory bail?
Yes. What else can I do? Our legal system is soft on women in such cases. But I have nothing to fear. I have been in the film industry for 35 years and everyone including the spot-boys will vouch for my character. Six weeks ago, Nandita filed a criminal case against me and my ex-wife Seema Kapoor accusing us of trying to kidnap our son Ishaan. The very next day she backtracked saying she 'suspects' that we will kidnap him. That just explains her state of mind.

What transpired on August 22?
We simply had an argument. She said I had to shell out Rs 10,000 to ten girls who had tied a rakhi to my son, Ishaan. I handed over Rs 10,000. Then she said that our maid had also tied a rakhi and she had given her a mobile phone worth Rs 3,000 and she demanded that I pay for that too. I put my foot down. The next thing I knew I was accused of domestic violence. I never thought our marriage will come to such a sorry pass.

What went wrong in the marriage?
We've not been getting along for the past 15 years. We are two very different people. While my roots are absolutely rural, her tastes are very elitist. Yes, I smoke a few cigarettes and have an occasional drink. But that's it. I don't spend on expensive brands. I don't need foreign holidays. She has taken 35 holidays abroad in 15 years. She dropped in on every foreign shoot and I had to pay through my nose every time.

Nandita says you've stopped paying for household expenses. Is that true?
Rubbish! I am paying for everything in her and Ishaan's life and I am not complaining. Be it electricity bills, telephone bills, chaffeur or servants. But Nandita does not know how to control her expenses. It was her idea to sign a MOU, then I gave her joint ownership of three flats and transferred two-thirds of the contents of my bank account to her and Ishaan, but she still wants more. She refuses to sign divorce papers because she doesn't want to give away a single penny. Moreover, she always wants to be known as Mrs Om Puri.

How much has this affected Ishaan?
I try my best to keep him out of this. But he is totally under Nandita's influence. Yesterday I tried to reach him on the domestic help's phone, but I overheard him saying, 'Tell him I have a sore throat'. Now I am going to request the Court to provide me access to him on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.

You were recently on a holiday with Nandita and Ishan. Pictures suggested everything was fine...
I wish it was true. I wanted to enjoy a holiday with my son but Nandita tagged along.

How has Nandita behaved during this conflict?
She is very aggressive and uses abusive language against me. She has grabbed my collar on more than one occasion. I try to remain calm and just walk out of the house. But she stands by the door blocking my way and if I try to make my way past her, she says that I am attacking her. She went to Seema's building and screamed expletives.

Would you like to stay with Seema after the divorce?
I can go and live with anybody, but first let me get out of this mess.

That doesn't answer my question.
Yes. I would like to live with Seema, I like her. But if that happens, it would happen only when I have legally parted ways with Nandita.

Nandita says you are in an adulterous relationship with Seema. Is there truth in the allegation?
At the age of 64? I can't write properly, my signature has changed because my hands shake. How will I indulge in adultery? And let me tell you Nandita is responsible for my ill health too. We were in Punjab, when I suffered a neuro problem. The doctors told her to fly me back to Mumbai/Delhi and get a spine surgery done but she ignored the doctors and did not inform me too. Was her holiday more important than my health? I got the surgery done when a doctor in Mumbai pressed the panic button but it was too late.

Have you lost out on work because of problems at home?
Workwise, I won't blame Nandita. Perhaps age has caught up with me. Also stars like Amitabh and Rishi have started doing character roles. But I did a nice film Trafficker in Bangkok recently. And I am doing a film with Spielberg.  

Bill to negate Supreme Court verdict gets Rajya Sabha nod

NEW DELHI: Contending that there was a need to check growing "criminalisation" in politics, Rajya Sabha on Tuesday "unanimously passed" a bill negating a Supreme Court verdict to allow people in jail to contest polls.


Representation of the People (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2013 provides for a change in the act of 1951. The amendment to sub-clause 5 of section 62 of the RPA, if passed by Parliament, shall come into effect from July 10, 2013, the day the Supreme Court gave its judgement that those in jail can not contest election.

"The fact is that the political class is the most accountable class in the country. Politicians are accountable to Parliament, to the Election Commission, to the country, to the people, to whom we go every after five years. We are the most accountable set of people in the country," Law minister Kapil Sibal said in his reply after a discussion on the bill.

"It is we who have passed the law to make us accountable. It is us who have decided to disclose our assets. Which other institution has taken such steps to make themselves more accountable," he said.

Sibal, who was congratulated by all members for bringing the Bill, said the apex court's order might perhaps not have come had the "environment" been different.

"I dare say, in an another environment, we perhaps would not get such a judgement. The environment is that political class is being looked upon with suspicion," Sibal said.

After examining the Supreme Court order, Government had filed a review petition, but instead of waiting for the outcome, it felt the need to "suitably" address the situation.  http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Bill-to-negate-Supreme-Court-verdict-gets-Rajya-Sabha-nod/articleshow/22097825.cms