I read this shocking news in today's Hindu.
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Nun was gang raped and priest brutally assaulted in Kandhamal
The brutalisation of the nun and the priest by a mob raising anti-Christian, Hindutva slogans took place around 1 p.m. at the site of the Divya Jyothi Pastor Centre. The church was burnt the previous day in reprisal against the murder of an RSS activist, Lakshmanananda Saraswathi, and four of his associates on August 23. The gang rape of the young nun, whose “virginity [was] grossly violated in public” (and whose identity is being withheld by this newspaper to protect her privacy) took place in front of a police outpost with 12 policemen from the Orissa State Armed Police present and watching, according to Father Thomas Chellan, the priest who was dragged out and badly beaten.
Nun was gang raped and priest brutally assaulted in Kandhamal
The brutalisation of the nun and the priest by a mob raising anti-Christian, Hindutva slogans took place around 1 p.m. at the site of the Divya Jyothi Pastor Centre. The church was burnt the previous day in reprisal against the murder of an RSS activist, Lakshmanananda Saraswathi, and four of his associates on August 23. The gang rape of the young nun, whose “virginity [was] grossly violated in public” (and whose identity is being withheld by this newspaper to protect her privacy) took place in front of a police outpost with 12 policemen from the Orissa State Armed Police present and watching, according to Father Thomas Chellan, the priest who was dragged out and badly beaten.
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Read more at:
Read more at:
http://www.hindu.com/2008/09/30/stories/2008093058040100.htm
My first reaction consisted of disgust, anger, and hatred for these scoundrels. It is beyond my understanding how any sane person can accept these atrocities. Several questions came to my mind. Would the 12 policemen keep quiet if their sister was in that position?
What made the mob perpetrate that act and not stop it? It is probably reasonable to assume that the mob consisted of regular folks, during normal times. If some street Romeos tease a girl, the same mob and police would have probably beaten up the eve teasers. How did they convince themselves that they were doing the right thing? I presume they felt they were doing the right thing.
I can think of two theories – possibly there are more. The first theory is that they are soldiers of Hinduism and they are acting in the interest of God and are part of God’s plan of taking revenge on the Christians. It is not a crime they are committing but doing a service by carrying out the will of God.
The second theory is the Karma theory. Presumably, the Nun has done acquired a lot of bad karma in her previous lives and current life and she is reaping the fruits of her Karma. I wonder what people who believe in Karma have to say about the perpetrators?
Some simpler theories also are possible. For example, political elements are misdirecting the foolish masses for their personal/political gain – for example, Christians are the root cause for their misery and hence they should be hounded and massacred. Another related theory is that the perpetrators are miscreants who are exploiting the situation and getting away with crime in broad daylight.
Which theory do you subscribe to? If you picked one of the simpler theories, please note that that is it is difficult to reconcile this with the God’s plan theory or the Karma theory.
Comments?
My first reaction consisted of disgust, anger, and hatred for these scoundrels. It is beyond my understanding how any sane person can accept these atrocities. Several questions came to my mind. Would the 12 policemen keep quiet if their sister was in that position?
What made the mob perpetrate that act and not stop it? It is probably reasonable to assume that the mob consisted of regular folks, during normal times. If some street Romeos tease a girl, the same mob and police would have probably beaten up the eve teasers. How did they convince themselves that they were doing the right thing? I presume they felt they were doing the right thing.
I can think of two theories – possibly there are more. The first theory is that they are soldiers of Hinduism and they are acting in the interest of God and are part of God’s plan of taking revenge on the Christians. It is not a crime they are committing but doing a service by carrying out the will of God.
The second theory is the Karma theory. Presumably, the Nun has done acquired a lot of bad karma in her previous lives and current life and she is reaping the fruits of her Karma. I wonder what people who believe in Karma have to say about the perpetrators?
Some simpler theories also are possible. For example, political elements are misdirecting the foolish masses for their personal/political gain – for example, Christians are the root cause for their misery and hence they should be hounded and massacred. Another related theory is that the perpetrators are miscreants who are exploiting the situation and getting away with crime in broad daylight.
Which theory do you subscribe to? If you picked one of the simpler theories, please note that that is it is difficult to reconcile this with the God’s plan theory or the Karma theory.
Comments?
4 comments:
Actually, the laws of karma are mis-understood by the people because there are very less authentic scriptures and people who know about it. Most of the people who claim that they know, do so by mental speculation. They manipulate the understanding of scriptures for their selfish motives and this leaves people in a state of confusion and gives birth to athiesm. Actually, the laws of karma are very simple to understand.
In the example you gave, there is no reason why the people who committed such an abominable act will not be punished. Also, there is no God conscious motive in committing such an act, its just some politically motivated event. As God is neutral to all, the doers of such an act will suffer the same intensity of punishment in future. But I ask one question here :
If tomorrow the government decides to hang these people, will you pity on them? Now you may say no. But assume some incident happens in your life and you forget that the nun was raped, at that moment if you see these people being hanged. Will you then speak ill of the jailer saying that for no reason he is hanging those innocent people. Thats exactly whats happening. You may say I am a merciless person, but it is not so. Every person in some way or the other undergoes an enjoyment or a suffering because of his past activities. That normally can't be checked. But its your choice how to react to this incident, and that decides what you will face in future.
But there is one more point to ponder over here. The people who were instrumental to make this incident happen had no influence of their past karmas to do it. They do it purely by their free will. Situations come because of past activities. But the way you react to them is purely your free will.
One more point is emphasized here. According to shastras, death penalty is given to those who commit crimes like murder and rape etc. By doing so, we are helping the person who has died, because he will suffer for the wrong he has done in this life only. He needn't carry it to his next life.
Pankaj, I'll go by the political motivation+miscreants taking advantage theory. Of course, I don't believe in Karma, however sophisticated way it might be presented in. Karma might though work in a more simplistic sociological, but imperfect way. For instance, those harming others are bound to be disliked by others, and hence, less likely to be helped by fellow humans, and more likely to be harmed.
Nice post!
TC.
Please have a look at my article below:
http://www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/report_death-penalty-is-violation-of-human-rights_1298027
It was a good reading, and well analyzed article. I would like to add one more theory: Man is bad by default! Al men (used for both genders here) are bad in born. A small kid so innocent, unaware of good or evil finds fun in killing a butterfly not in making one live. Finds fun in destroying one toy or by being nagging for something. The kid is not aware what right or whats wrong but he does it with a natural instinct! so the natural instinct i a human in born is slanted towards bad or evil. Leave a man alone and he will try to live all his/her evil fantasies.
Thats exactly the reason. A man as an individual is coward in his sense to do such an evil of doing gang rape. But when he find himself hidden inside a mob, as a mob has no face. He find it safe like he finds it safe to be alone. And the evil takes over. This suppressed desires of doing something wrong overwhelms him and these things happen. thats the reason such crimes are carried as a mob. and very rarely as an individual.
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