I happened to read Riju Bafna’s blog and found this beautiful poem there:
When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit –
Rest if you must, but don’t quit.
Author: Unknown
Who is Riju Bafna? Her professional records say that she cleared UPSC Civil Services 2013 exam with rank 77 and she is presently a 2014 batch Chhattisgarh cadre IAS.
But for me and many Indian women, she has become a HERO. I would like to entitle her a “BRAVE-HEART or a VICTOR” because the recent events of her life tell me that she has a fearless spirit and she never leaves the combat zone without victory. Over and above this, she stands for those who cannot stand, and she speaks for those who cannot speak. Yes, she is a BRAVE-HEART, a VICTOR, a HERO of my heart, and it is a big YES.
She openly expressed what she had to face concerning the sexual harassment case that she filed against Santosh Chaubey, and on August 1, 2015, she wrote a Facebook post:
“Santosh Chaubey, Aayogmitra of MP Human Rights Commission was sending me indecent messages last week. I had filed an FIR against him and criminal action is being pursued against him. He was immediately removed from his job, thanks to the swift action by my Collector, Shri Bharat Yadav.
Today, I went to give my statement to the Judicial Magistrate. While I was giving my statement, an advocate named Lalit Sharma was standing next, overhearing my statement, along with others in the court. I asked the judicial magistrate to ask others to leave as I was uncomfortable giving my statement in front of so many people. On saying this, Lalit Sharma started shouting at me, saying “how dare you suggest me to leave, I am an advocate here and you might be an officer in your office but not in the Court”. I told him that the privacy I am demanding is not as an IAS officer but as a woman and laws provide me with that. He started arguing and eventually left.
Such is the state of affairs for women in this country. When I said to Judicial Magistrate that he should be careful of presence of other people when a woman is giving statement under sexual harassment case, he said that you are young and that’s why demanding such things.
Idiots are lined up at every step and people are highly insensitive towards our sufferings. If you are born in this country, better prepare yourself for struggle at every step.”
Sexual harassment is a cold harsh reality that women in India face on a “usual basis”. I and you know that it happens on a USUAL basis, but there are some idiots or morons (I am sorry to use such words, but I am highly agitated) think that women should be habitual of it. What ends up more hurting is that women have to face the apathetic attitude of Indian judicial system, the very system that is meant to protect them. Moreover, if an IAS officer can be treated with such disrepute and insensitivity, we can easily visualize the dilemma of other women who belong to the lower rungs of society.
Riju Bafna’s case and numerous other sexual harassment cases could have been handled with more sensitivity, isn’t it? I also want to quote here what Aditi Narayanan had pointed out in her article,
When Suzette Jordan revealed her identity despite the stigma surrounding rape victims, we applauded her immense courage and strength of mind. But in one of her hearings at the courthouse, the defense attorney displayed the undergarments she wore at the time of the rape and asked her to confirm the same, while the lady judge remained a mute spectator to the injustice unfolding within the walls of the courtroom: which ironically is a place people throng to seek justice. The event, at the time of its occurrence, went unnoticed. It was brought to the attention of the public only after the death of Suzette Jordan….It is disheartening to see that the insensitivity of our judicial system was not questioned and the attorney/judge were not reprimanded for their misconduct.
Not only this, in India, even admitting to being raped or sexually harassed is a taboo. Can I please ask why such cases are seen as a taboo? When will all of us rise above our stolid thinking patterns? Or is it just a far-fetched imagination to have thoughtfulness and sensitivity towards women who went through rape or sexual harassment? Let’s be a storm of protest… Let’s Rise for India.
