Justice for Ankita
By Vivekanand Jha
Jharkhand faces political crises as the ruling coalition’s MLAs are airlifted to Chhattisgarh
Ranchi: Against the backdrop of ongoing political volatility in Jharkhand, the issue of the growing deadly attacks on women should not be put on the back burner.
Jharkhand is in the grip of a political crisis with Chief Minister Hemant Soren facing prospects of disqualification from the State Assembly in connection with an office of profit case. While the Election Commission, which had earlier had hearings on the issue, submitted its report to the Governor, and the verdict is due anytime now, the ruling coalition MLAs – both of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and the Congress party, were today flown out of Jharkhand to Raipur in a 72-seater chartered aircraft amid ‘poaching’ fears. They were herded out to the Ranchi airport today afternoon from Soren’s residence in two buses (Top photo) , and reportedly Soren saw them off at the airport.
The Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party had moved a plea, accusing Soren of violating election norms by extending a mining lease to himself. The BJP has sought the CM’s resignation and demanded fresh elections.
The ruling coalition has 49 MLAs in the 81-member Jarkhand House while the BJP has 26 MLAs. The JMM, with 30 MLAs is the largest party in the House while its coalition partners, the Congress has 18 legislators, and the Rashtriya Janata Dal has one.
As Jharkhand passes through the current political crises awaiting Governor Ramesh Bais to make the recommendation of the report of the Election Commission public, the political volatility brought about by this suspension pertaining to the continuation and departure of Hemant Soren has added to the fluidity of political scenario in Jharkhand.
Earlier on August 26, 2022, the JMM MLAs huddled at the Chief Minister’s residence and were subsequently herded to a resort in Jharkhand, along with the coalition MLAs.
Today’s episode has added a further dimension to the whole issue of instability of the present regime. Also, the speculations galore pertaining to the anointment of Kalpana Soren as the designated successor to Hemant Soren in the event of his disqualification from his chief ministerial position and debarment from contesting future elections for the next three years has deteriorated the political situation of the state.
Incidentally, considering the fluid political situation in the State, the gory killing of Ankita and the acid attack on Kajal Kumar have all the chances of getting drowned in the political whataboutery.
Hailing from a poor background, Ankita was teaching kids while continuing with her studies. Paradoxically, the young girl who would have flown high in the firmament with all her dreams would be brutally put to death by a boy in the neighbourhood who had his own set of dreams to get her by force if she resisted his advances.
With the benefits of hindsight, the BJP’s stereotypical allegation of ‘appeasement’ policy, and the Congress’ recrimination of ‘ giving the whole incident a communal colour’, were simply the futile, routine exercise of scoring brownie points over each other. The nation and the jurisprudence should take cognizance of the last wish of the victim, “The way I am dying, he should die in the same way”, assumes significance for it was not a Hindu young girl who was killed brutally, but it was a young woman whose life was snuffed out of her body; likewise, it was not that Sharukh Hussain, a Muslim boy, but he is the barbarian who sought to forcibly enforce his own whims and fancy upon a young woman who dared to resist his unwarranted advances.
Political parties should be asked to lay off, for no political whataboutery can bring solace to the departed soul; only the time-bound justice alone can give peace to the tormented soul of Ankita. The situation has come to such a pass that every father-Hindu or Muslim–will not only feel nervous when their daughters venture out of their homes but will feel even more cautious and concerned when they stay indoors. Ankita’s episode adds a further dose of tension and anxiety to the thought process of every parent in the country today.
Besides, in another incident, an acid attack was launched on a girl, Kajal Kumari, allegedly by a spurned lover in Chhatra. She too is admitted to RIMS Ranchi. These are the two cases that have been highlighted. There are other cases of attacks on women in the State. An unidentified mother and daughter were attacked recently while they were sleeping. They deserve justice, irrespective of the political situation. And the perpetrators should be punished irrespective of their caste and religion.
*Vivekanand Jha is an Author, Academician and Public Intellectual.
