This year, India is celebrating its 78th Independence Day, marking 77 years since the first anniversary of independence. As usual, the national flag was hoisted, colourful decorations were displayed, illuminations and firecrackers were lit, and cultural events and tea parties were held. However, most of the programs on Independence Day have become "meaningless rituals." The right question that we need to raise is: Do all citizens in India really enjoy true freedom? The realistic answer is NO.

Mother India is really bleeding. Why? Today, a vast majority of the Indian population is enduring an enormous amount of suffering due to corrupt politicians, corporations and unjust socio-economic and religious structures. Human rights are violated, democracy has become a sheer mockery, and the Indian Constitution is under threat.

Asha Devi, the mother of the 2012 Delhi gang rape victim, said, "brutal incidents of rape have become an everyday affair in India, but the elected representatives do not want to discuss it. News channels will show these things for the next two days and politicians will give some token comments". She questioned, "What after that? Are these incidents going to stop? Has punishment for such crimes been made stricter? No. How long will women in India fight for their own safety?" Asha Devi's questions, even after 12 years, have not found answers. The gang-rape and brutal murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor in RG Kar Medical College Hospital, Kolkata, on August 9, 2024, has indeed become a reminder of the Nirbhaya case of 2012 in Delhi.

Today, no place seems to be safe for women. Shockingly, there have been incidents of rape that have occurred in a family/home environment involving a father, brother or relative. Girl children are worried about their safety within their own homes. Home-makers are worried about their safety when they are at home. Likewise, working women are concerned about their safety at their workplaces. Girl students studying in schools/colleges/universities worry about their safety on campus. The resident girl children of Child Care Homes are worried about their safety within their places of residence. Female patients, nurses and doctors are concerned about their safety within a hospital. Women travellers are worried about their safety in a travel environment. Women devotees are afraid for their safety in an ashram environment. Women religious are fearful about their safety within their own convents/congregations. Why? Because rape occurs anywhere and everywhere. Any woman can become a victim. Every place, including the sanctum sanctorum of a worship centre, has become unsafe for women.

The list of culprits includes father, brother, uncle, relative, friend, office colleague, teacher, classmate, priest, swami/guru, auto driver, school bus driver, government official, politician, and even police. Hence, today, every woman is forced to look at a man with suspicion. Are young girls and women in India safe? Not really. "Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao" has become a forgotten and meaningless slogan today. Day in and day out, women of all ages (6-month-old baby to 60-year-old) are being targeted. What is wrong with our society?

Certain concerning factors need to be pointed out here:

•    Wife-beating – Male children get the message that there is nothing wrong with beating one's own wife.
•    Disintegrated/Broken families – Children are deprived of parental love and guidance.
•    Lack of Sex Education – It paves the way for boys and girls to have unhealthy relationships with each other.
•    Patriarchal system - Male-dominated culture, rules, laws and systems crush the voices of women.
•    Caste system - The upper caste communities continue to harass the lower caste communities. The easy prey are low-caste women.
•    Porn Culture – Many young boys and men get addicted to it since porn materials are easily available. They look for someone to experiment with.
•    Social Media - Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, WhatsApp, etc. have become tools to prey on vulnerable victims.
•    Police – Often, police personnel are found to be ineffective when it comes to rape incidents. Sadly, the victims are harassed by police to a great extent.
•    Judiciary – Law often fails to punish the culprits. Undue delay has become routine. Justice delayed justice is justice denied, which is the bitter reality.
•    Law-makers - They are insensitive to the burning issue like rape and atrocities on women. Amid nationwide outrage over crimes against women in December 2019, a minister in the Uttar Pradesh government said, "Not even Lord Ram can assure complete security to women".

Last year, the country witnessed Vinesh Phogat and her colleagues leading public protests against what she and other athletes said was sexual abuse and harassment by the former president of India's wrestling federation. She entered the wrestling games as a celebrated figure, overcoming knee and elbow injuries and qualified in a lower class than her natural weight to reach her third Olympics. In a surprising development, Vinesh was disqualified from the Paris Olympics for not meeting the weight requirement for her 50 kg gold medal match. Reports indicate that Vinesh was 100 grams over the allowed weight limit, leading to her disqualification. Who was behind her disqualification remains a mystery.

Gender discrimination is a menace rooted deeply in our society. Even though the Constitution of India protects and provides equal rights and measures to enhance the position of women in society, many women cannot enjoy the rights pledged to them. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), nearly 30 per cent of all women who have ever lived in a relationship have experienced physical and/or sexual violence from an intimate partner, which further resulted in violence from the family.

On the one side, we take pride in comparing the nation to a mother and say "Bharat Mata Ki Jai". But on the other side, the vulnerable women live in fear throughout their life. This is the irony in our country. The safety and security of every woman in India lies with the responsible parents, family members, citizens, teachers, religious leaders, politicians and police. Seeing Mother India bleeding, all responsible citizens must take a resolution to ensure the safety and security of every woman in this country.

Maatr Devo Bhava! (Honor Mother as God)!