The brutal, inhumane, and disgusting rape of two young girls is the most heart wrenching thing I’ve ever read. This struck me hard because I have a sister of the same age. But the melancholy that I am overcome with is not because I am an older brother, but because I am human. I am unable to comprehend the thought process that went into this brutal hate crime (more on that below). But, here is everything you need to know:

News

The girls were found hanging from a mango tree  during sunrise barefoot. They were 14 and 15 years old, cousins and Dalits (untouchable caste).

They had left the house to relieve themselves; because they didn’t have access to a toilet. Access to toilets is critical to changing a lot of the public health and social issues in India.

This picture says everything that needs to be said, but I chose not to include it because it is gruesome and tear jerking.

Motivation

Hate Crime:

any of various crimes (as assault or defacement of property) when motivated by hostility to the victim as a member of a group (as one based on color, creed, gender, or sexual orientation)

By this definition, the men were committing a hate crime because the assault occurred primarily due to their status as “untouchables.” This archaic system of birth-based classification is another huge factor in these sexual violence assaults.

Police Reaction

If you didn’t think this could get any worse, it does. The father reportedly went to the Katra police station the night they went missing, but was ignored. He is now suspended. Sohan Lal (father of one of the victims) insisted they act, yet he was ignored. Sohan Lal reported that the first thing the police did when he tried to report the incident, was ask for his caste, which is constitutionally illegal, but all too common.

What happened next highlights the vast distrust the people have in the police. Hundreds of Villagers, afraid that the police would call it a suicide, prevented officers from taking down the bodies for 12 hours. They waited until arrests were made.

“I have no faith left in the police — they’ve brought me nothing but grief.” ~Sohan Lal

The Accused

Very little is known about the accused, except that two of them lived in Katra (of Uttar Pradesh) and two other were police officers. There are three more suspects who are being investigated.

Conclusion

There is not much left to be said. This one incident brings to light many of the social issues that plague India: sanitation, gender-based violence, caste system, and police corruption. Each of those factors requires a considerable amount of effort and support to be reversed. The one thing we can all agree on is that enough is not being done in the status quo. It’s time for those who have any humanity in them to step up and help counter things like this.

[Image Attribute: “Mood of India 2013-001” by Ramesh Lalwani]