Catch the Criminal, Punish the Criminal!

I don’t remember the year but it was, may be, a decade back when I was watching a program on a News Channel where the panelists were arguing why India should not become a dry state. As one can imagine, the views were one sided, no one could count the benefits of alcohol after all and definitely not on a public medium. The balance was totally tilted against the liquor baron who had an innocent defeated-from-the-start look on his face. The debate was so one sided and boring, when a celebrity politician made a point which she thought could be the last nail in the coffin. “Alcohol breeds crime, crime exists because of alcohol. If there is no alcohol, there will be no crime!” Her voice became more authoritative as she pronounced the judgement, “India should be a dry state!”

How absurd, I thought. Pakistan is a dry state, Singapore is not. Really could not see the connection in her glorified absurdity. She should go back and listen to the famous song of Amitabh Bachchan “Nasha sharab mein hota to naachti botal!”, I thought.

This was not the first time I had heard such a vehemently stupid statement from a politician and I knew it wasn’t the last. However, I never imagined that these people and their by-products will give me vertigo by reaching incredible heights by making absurd connections of crime to almost everything from Western Culture, Valentines Day, Jeans and for God’s Sake – to Noodles! Give me a break, will you?

Crime in India is not a result of anything but the knowledge that you will not be caught and that you will not be punished for it. In India we almost take pride in committing crimes especially because we get away with it. I am no different in this case. I have done it and I have gotten away with it. However, I am no more proud of it! It is time we start to change things around or else we will be left with nothing but proud criminals. I, for sure, do not dream of an India like this.

So how can we do this? How can we catch the criminal, how can we punish the criminal? Here are my ideas for the state and its people.

1. Catch The Criminal Fast. Punish Even Faster. Face it! Criminal exists in India and commits crime. No matter if the reason is no money or too much of it. No matter if the reason is alcohol or lack of it. No matter if the reason is FTV or illegal prostitution. Let me make it clear, there is one and only one effective way of stopping crime, by catching the criminal and punishing the criminal! Yes the state has a strong role to play in this.
2. It is not the victim’s Fault. Police and other people of this country should stop blaming the victim. If a thief has broken into my house then it is not because my pad lock was not strong enough. If an old man gets murdered it is not because he forgot to do a police verification of his servant. If a girl is raped it is not because of her fashion sense. The criminal may get “aroused” by an easy prey but he is encouraged to commit the crime because he normally gets away with it. Here, a word of caution, this attitude is not limited to our police only, it exists in all of us and we have to drain it out of our system. Identify the criminal, punish the criminal – not the victim.
3. It is not the law, stupid: Oh these cries for stronger laws and screams for bringing stricter laws! Give it to Indian Laws, we have a very big and thick law book already. In fact, the laws are just so many and so convoluted in spaghetti of existing procedures that even the lawyers and judges are getting indigestion. To stop them from burping and farting we should, in fact, reduce / reform the laws! However, the need of our society and the hour is implementation of laws. We have to implement them; we have to help implement them. Criminal is out there, catch the criminal, punish the criminal. Any punishment will do.
4. The basement is but the lowest depth: We are like frogs getting fried, slowly. We will be fried unless we jump out of the cauldron now! Each day we get an opportunity to bend not only the laws but also our principles. Each day we get an opportunity to get a little worse then yesterday. Each day we fall a little more and there comes a time when we break the depth barrier and reach lower depths than the basements we had originally designed in our minds. We cross the line without even realising it. We get deep fried. First we jump red lights, park badly, and drive on the wrong side because there is no cop to catch us and then we end up drunk, driving over people sleeping on the footpaths. First we break a queue to get our movie ticket and then we end up being rude and callous, shooting at waiters and women. First we lean over in crowded places to rub against the ass of the woman going by and then we just grab her at the next opportunity. First we forget all courtesy towards elderly, the poor and then we just murder them. Stop doing wrong things because you can get away with it. Stop falling now. Catch the criminal inside you. Leave it in the cauldron to get destroyed.
5. Respect thy neighbour: In Hindu religion there is a very big importance of “Janeu”, the sacred thread. There are 3 strands in this sacred thread that signify gurus or teachers, parents and sages. We are always taught to respect these 3 categories of people. However, I believe that together the thread symbolises all of God’s creation including humans! It is my firm belief that respect to God is possible only if you respect his or her creation. So respect your neighbour, her parents, her maid, his driver and your own! Help a stranger, smile at the door man, don’t break the queue, let people come out of the lift first, park properly. For my and God’s ears do not blare out your bhajans from a loud speaker! Anyway, God may not even have ears that catch the frequency of the sound that emanates from them. Respect for others will bring courtesy and social strength that will bind us together against the crime! Flush out the criminal from the society, ostracise him.

Having said all this, I am personally very disturbed and hurt by the recent heinous gang rape in the city. Rape is the worst form of crime and especially in our society where it not only permanently damages the lady’s psyche but also puts a social stigma on her and her family. Rape has to be dealt with firmly and swiftly.

The police have the responsibility to catch the rapist, quickly. Such a crime must be considered of the highest order, even more than a murder! Produce him quickly in the court for the punishment order and make sure he gets it! Even if this is done, it will help!

It may not be enough, though. I believe that there should be fast track courts to punish him, severely. Any punishment will do but it should be severe. No, please no, death penalty is not severe! Here are my ideas of punishments:

• Life imprisonment with a job to clean the toilets of the jail. He should be given 1 meal a day, in the morning. This meal should be given only after he has cleaned all the toilets after the morning jobs done by other fellows in the jail!
• Put a tattoo “I AM A RAPIST” on his forehead. Here I dare to think – an eye for an eye – that the tattoo should be put on his son’s arm (or some other close relative) aka Amitbach Bachchan in another big blockster, “mera baap rapist hai”
• All of the above!

Here I would also like to bring an amendment that the severity of the punishment should be decided by the victim. It is not her fault, remember?

It is my appeal that while we should struggle and fight for more security for us and our loved ones, we should dig out the criminal intent from within us because one of us will get a chance to be the next corrupt leader, the next callous cop, or may be even the next rapist!