It is shameful. It is lamentable. It is despicable. It is
crass.
The young victim of the Delhi
gangrape was flown to Singapore
After 10 days, the government woke up from the deep
slumber. Manmohan was monitoring. Sheila was monitoring. Shinde shared concern
as he, too, has three daughters like Manmohan Singh. Chidambaram tried to be as
sensitive as possible.
Yet nothing was done beyond lip-service to take the victim
abroad for the required treatment. A Times of India report puts it in some
relevant words by using phrases and sentences like - ‘Last-ditch battle’ and
“Government is also concerned about
fresh protests if the worst can't be averted, and is therefore keen to be seen
to be doing its very best to save Nirbhaya.” (1)
Keen to be doing very best – now, someone who knows about Delhi knows very well that the Safdarjung Hospital
Currently the most powerful politician in the country, Sonia
Gandhi, has flown twice to the US India US
Certainly, there is clear difference on ‘what defines
seriousness of health condition’ and ‘its best possible treatment available’
for ‘the haves’ and ‘the have nots’.
And like the majority of the Indians, the Delhi
On some occasions, the victim’s medical bulletin did say
she was stable but it was always underlined that she remained critical. Problems
like internal infection, internal bleeding and organ-failure always made
doctors anxious.
Why then, when everyone was praying (including the
insensitive political and administrative class), it took 10 days for the Union
Cabinet to arrive at this step that should have been implemented much earlier.
In such a medical crisis, every passing moment is important to act.
Sheila Dikshit, used to of giving irresponsible
statements, had come forward to look and sound responsible when on December 19,
she had proposed to take the victim abroad for treatment if needed. She had
told the reporters, “Her condition is very critical, she has a lot of
injuries but if there is a need to take her abroad to treat her and save her
life, we will not hesitate.” (2)
But nothing was done on the ground to implement it. There
were statements and statements. There were clashes. There were police-public
and police-Delhi government clashes. The news-hungry airwaves and other
carriers were more for the highly-charged atmosphere of clashes and
high-pitched debates.
Meanwhile the victim continued to remain critical. If the
primary concern was getting justice for her, even more vital was getting her
all the best possible medical treatment available.
If a Chitranjan Ranawat can be called from the US to
perform a knee surgery on Atal Bihari Vajpayee and later on can be rewarded
with Padma Bhushan for his this service to the nation, the victim has all the
fundamental rights to access the best medical treatment available to live a
dignified life and it is the responsibility of the state to ensure it because it
is the ‘slackness’ of the state that is responsible for her condition.
On more than one occasion, the reports said the victim was
stable. She could have easily been flown abroad then. I am not a doctor and
cannot comment if there were existing medical conditions that prevented her to
be taken abroad. But it is beyond the common sense understanding that why this
delay when the doctors here were finding it hard to meet the requirements?
Why this silly practice of buying the time and for what?
Why the decision was taken only after the victim’s
condition deteriorated further and she suffered a cardiac arrest?
It is inhuman.
Let’s pray for her to win the fight; to prevail.
And let’s condemn all those who are responsible for it,
including those who delayed her in getting the best possible treatment
available.
(1) Delhi gang rape: Girl critical, flown
to Singapore
(2) Delhi gangrape case: Will take victim
abroad for treatment if required, says Sheila Dikshit – IANS/India Today,
December 19, 2012 - http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/delhi-gangrape-victim-abroad-for-treatment-sheila-dikshit/1/238727.html
©/IPR: Santosh Chaubey - http://severallyalone.blogspot.com/
