Rape and fire

A girl had set herself on fire after hearing that the suspects who had allegedly raped her were granted bail.

Death by self-immolation is a dreadful way to die, seeing the world for the last time through a veil of flames. It has become a form of protest over the years, a final statement of anger, frustration and impotence in the face of injustice. It was a Tunisian street vendor, who set himself on fire on December 17, 2010 in protest at harassment by the police and civil authorities. His act became the catalyst for what was subsequently called the Arab Spring, and his name will be forever associated with those events. No such fame will ever accrue to the girl who died of 70 per cent burns, having set herself afire in front of Mir Hazar Khan police station in Muzaffargarh on March 13. What had impelled her to take her own life was the release of six men on bail, who had been accused of raping her in January 2014. The investigating officer said that the men were innocent and that is why he released them.

Opposition members of the Punjab Assembly staged a token walkout in protest, claiming that the government had failed to perform its duties. The Punjab chief minister was reported to have taken notice of the incident and ordered that ‘the authorities concerned’ submit a report to him and the girl be given the best possible medical care — but with 70 per cent burns, her chances of survival were always virtually nil. And there the matter will rest. Those who knew the girl, her family and friends will remember her, but few others will. Her story will disappear from sight as quickly as the flames that ate her body. There will be no trial as there is no witness to give evidence against the accused, the file will be closed and will sit on a dusty shelf until it itself turns to dust. There was no justice for this girl, and with the release of her alleged rapists, she was overcome by despair. There will be no revolution as a consequence of her death, her memorial, silent anonymity. One can only hope against hope that the Supreme Court’s action of taking suo-motu notice of this case can lead to justice. However, sadly, it will not be able to bring the victim back to life.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 15^th, 2014.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.