Uber Rapes!

By Amitabh Kumar

Sorry for that headline, sorry for bringing up this topic, sorry for even trying to discuss my ideas, but most of all I apologize for the violent patriarchal society we live in.

We were all shocked by the newspapers on Saturday, a brutal rape case, what is far more brutal that the survivor belonged to a comparatively 'well to do' background. Yes she was one of 'us', could afford a cab a smart phone a credit card which enabled her to download a wonderful app which makes commute for women 'safe' at night. 

But the actual brutality of the matter is, we would not have cared/shocked/discussed the issue had it not been one of us! (Yup I include myself in the group of hypocrites!) There were other headlines on the same day, I have not joined a discourse on them, nor written about them.

• Vishwabharti school girl alleged rape, accused held
• Bangladeshi student arrested on rape charges on SantiNiketan
• Builder accused of raping former lover
• Ghost told dad to rape me: Claims 14 year old

I was one of the fools protesting on 16th of December 2012 believing we were about to change the world, well back then we blamed Ms Dixit & the Police and' buses with dark glasses', this time its 'foreign app', next time it will be another wonderful reason. Except the one which is the real reason.

We create these safe ghetto's for ourselves, where every one talks in a foreign language & in a foreign accent paying prices which ensure the foreign currency exchange rate does not burden us when we fly abroad. And in doing this we unapologetically ensure that 'they=waiters, taxi drivers, security guards, house helps, delivery boys' (it's a crazy long list of people who ensure our lives are comfortable but never will indulge in these comforts) are forgotten. They serve a simple purpose, are just tools to make our lives luxurious, "Why should we care about them?"

Tragic but true the 'safety' of our ghettos is as fake as the people who live in them. Presently the discussion has led to the 'responsibility' being on UBER, a phone app, which helps you find a cab easily. It has other features which ensure 'safety'. Does anyone actually believe that a phone app will be accountable for their safety? When the society/Police/Government cant be trusted!!!

What drugs are we on? The only reason why rapes happen is because of the rapist & because society collectively has failed that individual. In our amazing process of commercialization we forgot about the aspect of socialization. Violence is not just normal is it accepted & gender based violence is not just accepted it is appreciated!!!!' Rapists & rapes are reported upon like bollywood thrillers'.

(I know your brain probably went, stop sharing this #SaveThePlanetJargan)

Well trust me gender based violence is an epidemic!



No it was not the app which failed, it was the notion that a girl who drinks & hangs out alone at night is a 'sex object’, that is the failure we need to work upon. I am sure all the 'well wishers’ out there read the headlines and told all the young women' Beta, that is why you should not go out at night!'. I know we are afraid for the safety of our loved ones. But that is not the solution, immediate solutions include ensuring there is a quick conviction of the criminal, discussion/implementation towards creating safer spaces. Yes it will take 'a lot' of time, but if we do not have the time to invest in our safety & security or safety & security of our loved ones, what do we have time for ???

Closing down bars, changing phone apps or police commissioners wont bring about sustainable change, yup implementing justice verma commission report recommendations, gender sensitization awareness campaigns, discussion to curb gender based violence at homes/schools/colleges/work spaces is the only long term solution.

I am angry/afraid/helpless, probably most of us are. Will I return to my 9-5 earn to survive mode & just ensure 'I' stay safe and unharmed, or will I write a letter to my local police station/local MLA/MP/Governor highlighting the safety measures they should take. Will I ensure that dark street is lit up? Will I make it my problem? Or will the activist in me get lost in the daily battles of deadlines/ salary bonuses/ home/car/mobile/jeans loans ? Guess like most questions this question shall also be answered in good time!

#Vote4SafeDelhi: Calculated Promises & Promising Calculations

By Amitabh Kumar

Elections are round the corner, sources say 5thfeb 2015 will be the big day in Delhi. As ModiJi, Gandhi Ji & Kejri Ji, come seeking our vote. (Well the radio/Tv/Internet has already started jingling the tunes). We decided to have a quick look at their websites to figure out what was on offer this time. (our previous observation can be read: #DelhiElections!!! Whats going to change for the women of Delhi ?

Let’s start with the party in power, BJP, well they have a website dedicated to Delhi, good design, hi-res pics, most of the information about how amazing Modi Ji is, is to be found without a click. Though when it comes to finding an actual plan/manifesto/implementation strategy, the website is clueless. We have dropped a mail to SMT. Preeti Kamal JeetSehrawat the president of the MahilaMorcha (kjsehrawat@gmail.com), asking her about how they plan to make Delhi safer for women. Let’s see when/if I get a reply.

Next we visited the Congress party website, unlike BJP they do not have a separate site for Delhi (or at least Google could not find it). But what could be found on this well designed rather uninformative site was a manifesto with a 15 point agenda. This 2 page document has a few specific aims, sadly none of them are gender specific. Unlike the BJP they do not have any specific person one could get in touch, so we have sent a mail to connect@inc.in, also surprising that Congress just has 3 leader Mommy/Son Gandhi & Mr Manmohan Singh, what happened to the rest of the crew?

When we come to Delhi, it would be unfair to give the ever happening phenomenon of the Aam Aadmi Party. They do have a Delhi website Aam Aadmi Party, with too much happening on it. But the manifesto is clearly visible & Social justice has Gender Justice highlighted. Manifesto reading through it one can see that they have covered the basics. Though could have certainly been a lot more specific, plus included points about gender sensitization, LGBT rights.

That’s where they stand today. Doesn’t it make you wonder how do they plan to come up with genius ways of making Delhi safer for women in just a few days? Or is it all about calculated promises & promising calculations after all? Do our political leaders really want to change the scenario or is it just smooth talk to get our votes?

#DelhiElections!!! Whats going to change for the women of Delhi ?

By Amitabh Kumar

Disclaimer: बोल कि लब आज़ाद हैं तेरे Sorry for attempting to write my thoughts without a' politically correct tone. #IfYouPutMeInJail I need a basketball court, a basketball, a pen & a few sheets of paper :)

(nothing? something…. May be #OkLetsBeHonest&Pray!)

SO finally after months of coma, politics returns to Delhi. Yup politics in India or for Indians is pretty much confined only to elections. It's a grand festival, where city walls are plastered with photoshoped smiling faces of politicians, graffiti all across the town with rather creative Bollywood inspired slogans & inhuman decibel level of microphones playing party slogans in loop (all three of which is banned by the Elections Commission). "Election commission, like the women's commission & other commissions has been established just honor Ghalib's quote ​दिल को बहलाने के लिए ख्याल अच्छा है nah don't get me wrong they do their show, filling up a quota of how many bottles of alcohol they have seized & some money which they catch. But come on every campaign manager knows exactly how to get past their rather illogical and frivolous modus operandi "

We shall see the reappearance of white Gandhi ashram Khadi (ok now Fab India) kurtas, car caravans & very convincing people telling us, how important we are & how it is fatally important that we vote for them. This will be done differently for different religions/castes/class. Beginning from barking competitions on television (the rich), to annoying radio jingles (the middle class), to biryani/alcohol/cash distribution (poor).

The above methodologies are further wrapped into the 'intellectual class satisfying/approved 'products such as manifestos/ideology/#WhatWeStandForSpeeches. As we have been pretty much in the election mode this year, Delhi then National followed by Haryana & Maharashtra plus soon we will witness Kashmir, our memory is fresh, so what is it that we shall be offered this time ? Before I get into my prediction mode, here is what was on offer last time (yes we shall ONLY look at it from a gender lens :)

Let's start with the holier-than-thou #AamAadmiParty, this young party led by a rockstar of a super human Kejriwal, firstly could only identify 8 women to represent them in Delhi (clearly not practitioners of #33Percent women's reservation bill), secondly they also promised a women's only paranormal ninja team to take care of women's security & also the implementation of the Justice Verma committee recommendations. Well in the short & sweet 49 day government most of that did not happen, what did happen that Mr. Somnath Bharti, the law minister decided to play 'Judge Dred' at mid night, taking a bunch of his supporters (could be read 'goons') to chase & arrest Nigerian women on suspicion of prostitution & drug peddling. (Black women wearing western clothes #ThatWasTheLogicProvided #FaceFUCKINGPalm)

The next in line in the Modi brigade, yup BJP suddenly seems to have lost all its leaders & the only face in town gardening the lotus is that ‘interesting’ politician for Gujarat. (Reminder’s #2002 , #SnoopGate , & when he finally got to US he stood next to Wolverine & said #MayTheForceBeWithYou kidding‘ ‘Mota Bhai’ Narendra #GharGharModi #HarHarModi and all that. So their party manifesto talked about 33% women’s reservation bill, a national campaign against sex selective abortion & education, free treatment for acid attack victims & making Police more women friendly. Well Delhi police is under Modi since the last few months & we have witnessed NO change in their attitude or functioning, though I must highlight for the first time in the history of Delhi, women protestors were sexually molested by police.

(Do Read: www.feministsindia.com/delhi-police-molest-women-protestors) 33% Women’s reservation has not been debated, neither is it on the upcoming parliamentary sessions agenda, nor is it implemented during ticket distribution, as last time Delhi saw only 5 women candidates from BJP. Lets not forget the RSS factor & its other branches known for moral policing & ensuring India never breaks away from its patriarchal chains holding us in primitive notions.

Finally we come to Congress, the party which ruled Delhi for 15 years, I believe they were so sure they would not have to implement any of their promises (not that its required to do when you come to power) they promised the world to us. Rapid Justice/ Help Lines/ 24 Hour Safe Transport/ Easy Loans/ One Stop Crisis Intervention Centers/ Clean Cooking Fuel, yeah long list of fake hopes & dreams, of course they totally took claim of the 33% women's reservation bill (which never got passed BTW). Their lies were so embarrassing that Ms. Shiela Dixit took political retirement post this mishap of Delhi elections. Not that they were any better, in fact they only gave 6 out of the 70 tickets to women & lets not forget the shameful display of ignorance which led to the 16th December 2012 protest across the nation!

So that is what we received last time, unless you believe in Voodoo magic, I honestly do not see how will they manage to change anything? I mean it's just been 8 months? Same politicians, same city, same campaign managers, the same game. Ok may be congress will just accept its uselessness & not even bother to compete in elections this time round.

So please vote, but inform yourself, ask your representative how will they change the scenario ? And if you hear the age old raga then debate why wasn't there and action taken in the past? #LongLiveTheRevolution!

Love Jihad : The fake, the political & the bloody patriarchal!

By Amitabh Kumar

The Rashtria Swayamsevak Sangh (commonly famous as RSS in India, yeah its not Rich Site Summary here), has taken on both its arch rivals with this new fabricated political agenda, remember 'BabriMasjid’ (yup that forgotten mosque of the forgotten city of Ayodhya, which was broken down to build a 'temple’ aka "tapping on the financial insecurities of a religious majority, blaming their trouble on a religious minority". Does the example sound similar, reminds you of a funny mustached bloke going by the name of Adolf, wearing khakhi shorts strolling the land of beer)

Sorry about that side track, but trust me these clowns have a lot in common. Back to 'Love Jihad’, as Wikipedia informs us, its means 'an alleged activity under which young Muslim boys and men reportedly target young girls belonging to non-Muslim communities for conversion to Islam by feigning love.’ Hmmmm (sorry but lets just read this AGAIN !!!) : 'an alleged activity under which young Muslim boys and men reportedly target young girls belonging to non-Muslim communities for conversion to Islam by feigning love.’ Have you ever read anything as absurd as this? (to venture into the ruins of absurdity, there are always ways to protect yourself from it - Love Jihad : Precautions to be taken by Hindu girls, women and Hindu parents

Basically creating all inter-religious relationships involving Muslim men into some sort of an army mission ? Like seriously !!! So if I was to go out with a girl who is a believer, it would clearly be a 'atheist shadyantra (conspiracy)? But then again, it’s the boys from RSS, can’t expect much out of them (come on, if they were smarter, they would not belong to RSS now would they?)

RSS a very well organized structure is based on discipline, patriarchy & hate for all which they believe is 'non-Hindu’. They have sadly never been able to contribute in the progression of the nation, but have been in the headlines for beating up young girls at a pub, burning down Archies gallery for selling Valentines day cards, digging up the cricket pitch before an India vs Pakistan cricket match.

Their latest contribution 'Love Jihad’ is no different than their usual regressive ideas. It reconfirms their patriarchal beliefs (women are treated as a mere object, which can be battered to establish or demolish religious beliefs) & it spreads hate against Muslims (when we hear 'Jihad’ we see Osama Bin laden, the twin towers coming down & get scared. Though 'Jihad’ has nothing to do with all that, it’s a term used in Islam for our own internal battle against our own vices, nothing to do with guns, bombs, or 50 virgins after death)

Though this time they had some highly paid marketing guys advising them, so they tapped into another wave of helplessness/fear/rage, 'crime against women’. Ever since 16th of December 2012, crime against women, especially rape has been in the headlines. (which is a good thing as we have finally realized there is a problem, though we are still miles away from working on any constructive long term solutions, though once in a while we come up with idiotic preventive measures like, rape safe underwear & penis biting condoms) So yeah back to 'Love Jihad’ similar crimes were witnessed in the same geographical area back in 1920’s as well.

Uttar Pradesh sadly has a state machinery which can neither be called 'state’ nor 'machinery’, rather a family/caste dominated sinking ship tragedy. In the middle of this we find the youth of this particular geographical area experimenting with their sexuality. Some of the consenting sexual partners are from other communities, of course this is not acceptable by the primitive social norms. (Yes, consensual premarital sex amongst young adults is usually written off as rape in the police files, where as actual rapes are some how hardly ever noted).

In the middle of this we have the UP elections around the corner, with having won the national elections on the slogan for 'real Hindu, should vote Modi’. The same crew of goons lead by Mr Shah is all set to see a re-run in the state elections. And they will rape & revenge rape their way to power. Love Jihad is one of the most brutal poisons for the Indian social fabric, I honestly hope we are able to look beyond political gains& reject such notions.

Rapes, murders & generation of hatred, seems like an acceptable price to pay in India, after all it  is all for development !!

India is no country for poor, low caste villagers!

By Amitabh Kumar

Badaun, remember? Two young girls brutally gang raped, murdered & hung from a tree. 5 men were arrested, 3 of them from the dominant Yadav caste, 2 from UP Police. There was an international outrage ! Every so called ‘ Gender Sensitive’ activist/politician/leader/celebrity ( never ending list of hypocrites) tweeted, made posters, lit a candle ( after which we all went to enjoy our cold beers as it was summers and the happening bars had a different ice bucket challenge going on).

That was back in the last week of May, since then public outrage has shifted to Israel/Shiv Sena/Pakistan/Ebola/Indian Cricket Team. So did we ever wonder what happened to the victims family? Remember their Father, who was interviewed by every journalist with the genius question of ‘How does it feel?’, ‘What would he like the Govt to do ?’ , Or their Mother who was offered charity & justice & a better life by all the Ngo’s/PoliticalParties/Corporates.

Well, their families have now been told that there was no rape. In fact it might be a case of honour killing, So now it’s the victims parents who or on trial ??? Yes that is the wonderful justice system of India. It only works for the rich & the upper caste, if you are poor or belong to a lower caste you are protected by the lord almighty not the constitution of India.

Lets just compare this to Nirbhaya case which happened in Delhi, yeah close to our homes & home to 160 24 hour news channels, not to mention it was the cool winter of December. O yes that was ‘practical’, ‘easy’ to report/protest/attain justice for. Also she was not from the lower caste & the boys did not belong to a stronger one, in fact when the perpetrators are slum dwellers India’s justice system works faster than pizza hut home delivery.

But when it comes to poor girls from the interiors of Uttar Pradesh, why should we care? We will never go to that village for a Holiday? They don’t contribute much to the economy! They are nothing but the object of our pity, Who we show in our ‘Incredible India’ ads. Their acute poverty ads to our ‘unity in diversity’ slogan. But we all know they are not equal to us, but we all know we will never share the same opportunities, we will never face the same discrimination & the worst part of it is, we are ok with it !!!


So go ahead, light another fucking candle, start a tweetathon, photoshop that poster !!

Let's #UseCondoms!

By Amitabh Kumar

The reporting and misreporting of the Indian health minister’s comments has thankfully got our attention to the very important topic of #SafeSex. India really needs to improve its quotient on raising awareness about healthy sex practices in all age groups, especially the adolescents.

So, according to the Indian health minister what needs to be promoted is “the integrity of the sexual relationship between husband & wife as “part of our culture”. Firstly, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Indian culture includes Kamasutra & Ajanta-Ellora. Secondly, #SafeSex is the way to go, be it pre-marital, post-marital or extra-marital. It has taken a lot of effort to popularize the concept of safe sex. Please do not push us back in the dark ages!
In India we are still working on breaking primitive myths attached to sexual intercourse. As more young people indulge in sexual behavior (thank god for that!), we should encourage healthy & safe sex practices. A health minister should be encouraging sex education rather than making such ridiculous statements! (Sadly the bloke we have placed for this job is against sex education in schools!)

Well Dr. Harshu, sexual health experts across the globe unanimously agree that it is essential to educate young people about healthy sex practices.

I am guessing you must have realized your mistake by now & will not repeat it; until then, here is a song dedicated for you: Let’s talk about Sex baby:

A photo campaign to go with it

Oh and why just stop at that? I will help you out a bit more and post this #Condom to you, to act as a motivator to #UseCondoms!

You can #PostACondom to Dr Harsh Vardhan at his postal address

Dr. Harsh Vardhan
Former Health and Education Minister, Delhi Govt. (INDIA)
Former President, Bharatiya Janta Party, Delhi State
M.B.B.S., M.S. (E.N.T.)
E-8A/14, Krishna Nagar,
Delhi 110051, INDIA
Tweet your views to him at : @drharshvardhan

Or share your views with him on Facebook

When will you build our #FootOverBridge?

By Amitabh Kumar - Head of Media Division (Centre for Social Research)

Have you ever felt you almost kicked the bucket while crossing the street, as that fast car furiously zoomed past missing you by a few inches? Well if you live in India or have ever visited our crazy nation I am sure you know that feeling. Having grown up in Delhi, I am not surprised at the fact that my city tops the list in fatal road accidents

In fact it would be surprise not to witness a minor accident on the road & many close misses, if you are travelling in Delhi.

The road I take to work, is the infamous Nelson Mandela Marg(headlines to a few major accidents), a long stretch of a wide road between Vasant Vihar and Vasant Kunj, where the rich of south Delhi like to test the acceleration of their mean machines. As much as I love the Idea of India progressing & all of us owning Lamborghini’s, we should not be turning a blind eye to most of Indians who are still struggling for their daily bread and walk to work, yes the pedestrians !

Nelson Mandela Marg is also home to Delhi’s fanciest malls, Yes that little piece of Hollywood in the middle of south Delhi. Most of the staff working in these malls uses public transport to get to work (and that won’t change, nope they belong to that category of humans who are born to sell luxury products never own them). They need to cross this fast lane street to get to work.

With a lot of pressure from the civil society, the public works department had inaugurated the #FootOverBridge on 29th August last year , sadly not a single stone has been constructed post that date. Dr Yoganand Shastri the then speaker for the Delhi assembly did a huge media show with garlands and photographers & all the other works which goes with it, I wonder what he has to say about this slow progress !

Well, I figured we could just ask them, so we will be sending postcards(one each day, till we get a reply or a #FootOverBridge) to Dr Shastri( The bloke who inaugurated the FOB) Mr Jung ( Lg of Delhi & Currently responsible for all work to be done in Delhi) Sh Dinesh Kumar(The Public works department boss, who should be getting it constructed)

So the questions are being delivered by the mailman as we speak. In times where the authorities do not pay attention to protesters shouting & screaming, fasting until death, will this age old methodology work ? Let wait and see :)

Badaun is a case of assertion of power against two of India’s most discriminated minorities

By Amitabh Kumar - Head of Media Division (Centre for Social Research)

Badaun has once again got our attention to gender based violence & caste discrimination. No not that India had changed immensely after 16th of December 2012, but most of us were at peace with ourselves as we had attended a few candle light vigils & expressed our solidarity on social media platforms, plus our mission was accomplished once we heard the death sentence for all the accused (except the juvenile who will be out on the streets real soon). But whatever it takes to make this epidemic a point of concern, sadly the solutions we are coming up with are as usual salt to taste, band aid, short term populist solutions to make headlines.

• Sacking of the misogynistic/patriarchal/corrupt Government of Mr Yadav and crew is a good move for a million reasons but not really a solution for gender based violence or caste discrimination. As the situation is pretty much the same across the nation, (I know this will come as shocker to most, as media tends to focus on a few states when it comes to reporting certain matters, but here is a list of inhuman crimes against Dalits from across the Nation)





• Setting up of the fancy sounding rape crisis cell, will be like adding an accessory to a failed machinery. Though that is the favorite modus operandi of our government, to create a new centre, scheme, commission, the only issue is they use the existing decaying mechanisms. As the ‘rape crisis cell 'will be dependent on the state police to execute its function, how does it help ?





• Firing police personnel (that too the ones at the lowest posts) does not solve the purpose either. They have learned to serve the ones in power & ‘only’ work for them, which is not surprising as we follow the ‘police act ‘written by the British to control the Indians & serve the British. As our rulers changed, the police still controls the citizens & serves the parliamentarians. The other side is the police force, which does not take 'rape 'as a serious crime, rather seen with a mentality of victim blaming, 'boys will be boys’, 'dented painted'. These infamous comments sadly reflect the Indian mentality towards gender based violence & that’s not changing by firing a few men in Khaki.





• As for building toilets, that is a required & essential step to improve the quality of life for the women of UP and across the nation BUT keeping women at home is not really a solution one wants.

So are there any solutions? Well yes they are right in front of us, recommended by commissions setup by our own government (as NGO recommendations are always branded as foreign agenda to pollute Indian culture) even written in the constitution. The latest one being the Justice Verma Committee Recommendations when it comes to tackling gender based violence, as for caste based discrimination there is the Protection of Civil Rights Act 1955 & loads of advisory reports on how to implement it by our own Ministry of Home Affairs.

Sadly they are never looked upon, every time an incident like the Badaun gets a bit of media coverage, we all (Lead by a few grant seekers from the civil society) relay to reinvent the wheel, well the laws are very much in place, it’s the implementation which is failing, sometimes due to corruption at others due to hurdles created in the system but mostly because of ‘we’ as a society just don’t care enough.

Its not enough just to create a ruckus, as important as it is to stir the system up by protests, slogans & candle light vigils, its essential to bring closure to survivors, to ensure justice no matter how long it takes. Sadly the activist in most of us only becomes alive when the news cameras are around, for those few seconds of fame, for those likes on facebook & shares on twitter. But all that they are on the next day is digital waste if we are not following up & working for systemic changes. All the policing in the world will not change our attitude towards gender based violence unless we are sensitized against it. Similarly only providing quotas will not provide social respect to lower castes. We need to implement focused awareness generation & integration programs to ensure that.

Badaun is a case of assertion of power against two of India’s most discriminated minorities. When I say minority I am not focusing on numbers, I am focusing on social power distribution & sadly Dalits & Women of the Indian subcontinent need a lot of support & protection so that they can attain their share of power & ensure such injustices are not repeated.

Cant tackle drug & human trafficking in one night !

By Amitabh Kumar - Head of Media Division (Centre for Social Research)

Last week Delhi has been discussing drugs and human trafficking, as a newly elected minister decided to be the 'Hero' for some of his voters.' Khirki' (means window) a typical lower middle class area of south Delhi has been in news, being branded as Delhi's 'red light 'district. If one was to go by the some of the news channels and political statements it would seem there is an underground tunnel from 'Africa' to 'khirki' and it only allows one way traffic for drug dealers and prostitutes. (Of course for a common Indian every dark foreigner is an African: 50 Cent, Michael Jordan, Oprah, Andrew Symonds, Usain Bolt, Sarena Williams … all Africans and we also believe its one country with different states like Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya)

Last week seemed all of Delhi's crime was being run by 'Africans', though in reality most of the drug and human trafficking in Delhi is done by Indians, yup home grown poverty prone desi boys and girls.

What Somnath Bharti and his crew did, was not only criminal/racists/vigilantism but out and out stupid. No one denies the fact that drugs are easily available in Khirki (just like they are in the rest of the National Capital Region and most major cities of the country) and surely there is a booming business of prostitution, just like in any other areas of Delhi. (O yes there is prostitution in Delhi! in every part of the city, from Vasant Kunj to Kashmere gate, you don't believe me, pick up any newspaper search for an escorts add, dial the number you shall be amazed!). Why won't it be, exchange for money for sexual services is legal in India and the some of the common people ' aam aadmi/aurat' enjoy drugs.

Being a lawyer Bharti should have known that his actions were only going to sabotage the case against the alleged drug traffickers and brothel owners. Apparently Bharti had evidence, the smart move (surely known to a lawyer) would have been to submit the evidence to the magistrate (in case he did not have faith in the Police, honestly not many of us do) and forced the police to take action which would lead to conviction.

The solution to drug and human trafficking is found more in policy than in policing. As these are social crimes they exist because the common people are the consumers. Plus I don't want state intervention in how I intoxicate myself, my poison is my business and I shall not let anyone be a part of this sacred space. Similarly for prostitution, Bharti and his troopers need to understand the only victims of human trafficking are the prostitutes, putting them behind bars or deporting them is not the solution. In fact there is not easy solution, the only way to tackle these issues is through awareness, informing people about the negative aspects of drugs the exploitation and injustice involved in human trafficking. Though that takes time, patience and persistence.

Considering our know how of drugs and human trafficking comes mostly from the media ( American shows like 'The Wire' and 'Breaking Bad' being our top informants ) it is very limited. I ask myself why isn't the government looking into creating awareness generation campaigns.