Rape suspect killed by mob - BBC
Rape is a heinous, terrible act. It should not be played down, taken lightly, tossed aside, sidelined. It should be punished – thoroughly and to the utmost.
But it should be punished by the proper authorities, if they are in place and if they do wield effectual power and judgment to do so.
The news of a rape suspect being killed by a large, enraged mob has gone viral. According to reports, the rape suspect, by the name of Farid Khan, was forcefully dragged out of prison by the angry crowd before being stripped naked and killed.
What is more chilling than the news itself are its responses. All around the virtual world there are people approving of the act, saying that he deserved it and that the mob was well justified for doing what they did. People may say that justice is finally being served, that democracy has triumphed when the mob finally took up arms against the alleged rapist.
Bearing in mind that the man is a rape suspect, is it justice for citizens to kill a man that has not properly undergone trial, has not been given a guilty sentence yet? Bearing in mind that there is no indication that this 'protest' was planned calmly beforehand, is it democracy when ordinary people play executioner on an impulse rather than debate about it in a more level-headed, rational fashion?
The silence is equally disconcerting than the condemnatory voices. This piece of news should have opened more discussion in the current rape debates that have been running rampant in light of the gang-rape case in Delhi, 2012 (Sources: The Guardian, BBC). It would have demonstrated the level of outrage on India's ban on the documentary India's Daughter, it would have called to question the effectiveness of judicial systems in trying rape suspects. Most importantly, it would also raise ethical issues about vigilante justice. What is the balance between getting one's voice heard and between murder, violence, cruelty? How far is too far?
Media channels have underplayed it, the prison guards excused it by saying they couldn't stop the crowd, and news reports shed minimal discussion on the ethical issue of vigilante justice (if at all). The news melted into the background, as if the storming of a prison, the killing of a rape suspect is not any different from news of other street protests.
Will the killing of one man be sufficient to turn rape culture on its head? Not likely. But will violence begets violence? Chances are very high. Rape should be punished – thoroughly, and to the utmost by the law.