KATHUA: CHAPTER 2

Disclaimer: This story is a sequel to Kathua: Chapter 1. It's based on true incidents that happened in the Kashmir region of India. The story doesn't claim the accuracy or factuality of the events. For the respect of the victim, I have taken creative liberty to change the name, places, and dates and merge many incidents into one fictional timeline. The purpose of this story is not to hurt anyone but to tell the tragic story of a victim in the larger interest of humanity and justice.

A FEW DAYS LATER

Days after the Kathua rape case victim's parents removed her as a lawyer for failing to attend hearingshomeless, of the case evecollected collects awards in its name, lawyer Deepthi Singh Rajawat today justified Kashmiri Pandit genocide. In inspeech at Delhi, Rajawat suggested that the Kashmiri Pandit exodus and genocide in the 1990s, which left thousands of Kashmiri Pandits homeless were a "blessing in disguise."

She referred to the exodus as 'migration', implying that it was voluntary and that they were not forced to live in camps. 

Rajawat said: "Plight didn't continue for long as most of them are well settled now". The fact that they can't go back to their homes is "the only issue" for Rajawat.

In her defence, Rajawat is not the only one who has contextualised Kashmiri Pandits genocide and exodus.

Journalist Barkha Duttthat had said how the wealth of the Kashmiri Pandits might have been the reason behind the disenchantment of Kashmiri Muslims. She had conveniently forgotten that the Kashmiri Pandits genocide at the hands of Kashmiri Muslims was a result of religious indoctrination and Jihad. This is not the first time Rajawat has shown her insensitivity. After she was called out for her insensitive remark, she blamed the 'trolls' who were 'paid monthly wages' to 'troll, even as she stood by her statement by claiming how she didn't mean it as a comment on the Bakarwals, the nomadic tribe the victim belonged to.

ONE YEAR LATER

JULY 2022

COIMBATORE, TAMILNADU

One year later, Adhithya, a college student, started to investigate the Kathua Case, the Love Jihad case, and the Hadiya case with some of his junior friends in the college. He studied amidst the opposition and mockery of his classmates.

At that time, his girlfriend Darshini asked him, "Adhithya? I myself am a Brahmin. I say what they did was wrong. And Vinod Jangothra still didn't get any punishment for his crimes."

For this, Adhithya asked her: "If Vinod Jangotra had been framed in the Kathua rape and murder case?"

"What the hell?"

ONE YEAR BACK

January 11, 2018

An investigation by Zed News has been conducted. They found out that Vinod Jangotra, the son of Sanji Ram, who was accused by the police to be the mastermind of the crime, was present in Muzaffarnagar on the day and at a time when the police charge sheet accuses him of being present in Kathua.

Zed News has accessed CCTV footage from an SBI ATM in Muzaffarnagar, where Vinod Jangotra is visible standing in a queue and withdrawing money among other people. The Zed News team had even gone to Kathua to verify the identity of Vishal, where his mother and sister had positively identified him. They also pointed out the chain he was wearing and his clothes as proof that it was really him. Vinod's sister has claimed that it was her ATM card and he was using that.

Since Vinod did not have an account, all the transactions shown in the passbook were done in the same location where Vinod stayed to study.

PRESENT

"The university has provided Vinod's answer sheets and CCTV footage recorded during the exams to the Jammu Police crime branch for verification of authenticity. His family has been claiming since the beginning of the case that the crime branch investigations were botched up and Vinod was never present during the crime period." Adhithya explained this to Darshini at present.

"Adhi. Vinod's presence in Muzaffarnagar on January 15 at 3 PM definitely throws a shadow of doubt on the charge sheet filed by the Jammu crime branch team in the Kathua case," said Darshini, to which Adhithya replied, "Darshini. The charge sheet was already under scrutiny, as many claimed that it contained factual discrepancies. The whole matter of Vinod's involvement is now questionable because the charge sheet claims that Vinod was helping the minor accused dump the body of the victim at 4 PM on January 15th."

While discussing with her, Adhithya received a call from Aravinth, a Hindu Munnani worker in Singanallur. He gets an opportunity to give a speech among the crowds during a festival. Eventually agreeing to that, Adhithya goes there to give a speech.

There, Journalist Bharathi, an RSS worker, was asked to speak. Going towards the microphone, he started to speak about Kathua's Case.

"Greetings to my fellow Hindus and Muslim brothers. I saw a tweet by Tharoor, who is known for his 'erudition, tweeting posters demanding the ouster of BJP canvassers outside Kerala homes. Does this mean that men affiliated with the BJP alone are rapists? What is the statistic on which this rhetoric is based? This is indeed a sick way to address the sensitive issue of disturbing crimes happening in the country. Perhaps Mr. Tharoor has forgotten two members of Congress, B.K. Biju and P.K. Shamsuddeen, who were awarded life imprisonment for raping and murdering a woman named Radha in a Congress office. I was expecting something better from an educated man who had served in the UN for many decades.

He said that, as a citizen of India, I was concerned by the silence of the Prime Minister of India over horrific incidents of rape in India. I expected the leader to speak on an important issue. Finally, he came out and assured the nation that the culprits would not be spared. Two ministers in the state of Jammu and Kashmir who had allegedly supported rapists were made to resign. These developments were reassuring. I saw the media pressure on the establishment to act as a positive sign. However, the narrative unfolding after these events scares me. His party boss, Rahul Gandhi, who led a candlelight march in Delhi to protest against Kathua and Unnao rape victims, could not ensure security for women from his own party men, as per the account of a journalist who was at the march. Has the Congress lost focus on the issue of women's safety in its blatant politicking? Compare this with Rajeev Chandrasekhar. He had been working on justice for minor victims of sexual assault since 2017. In his recent, exclusive interview, he said that the laws should be strengthened and prosecution at the state government level must be improved. He added that the registry of convicted sex offenders must be operationalized to ensure that children are protected from repeat offenders. Chandrasekhar added that the threshold level for capital punishment for crimes against children must be brought down. He added that the Kathua case must be fast-tracked and the guilty must be brought to book swiftly.

The minister of women and child development announced that amendments to the POCSO Act would be brought in to ensure that rape against children younger than 12 years can be punished with the death penalty. These are the kinds of ideas that will go a long way in ensuring that justice is done to children who have been sexually assaulted.

The anti-Modi cabal has not come up with any positive or constructive solution to combat crimes against children. It has not come about with a plan to improve the prosecution system or judiciary to ensure that victims get justice in time. Instead, they seem to have invested their energies in a political campaign.

Teesta, who is now out of jail in an embezzlement case, wants to 'drive out the ideology, which she hates. I wonder whether she is concerned about justice for the victim or anticipating a political establishment that will drop cases registered against her. Clearly, the journalist Rana Ayyub has displayed remorseless political vultureism in her commentary on the Kathua rape incident. Her concern for the rape victim was forgotten, and her opposition to Hindutva took centre stage in this tweet. It is, of course, not surprising. Rana Ayyub is the very propagandist who wrote an entire article blaming the "Hindu fascists" and the ideology she despises when a nun was raped in West Bengal. The rapists turned out to be Bangladeshis, and just like that, her concern for violence against women and her quest for justice vanished.

In addition to this, the blatant use of Hindu gods and symbols to insinuate against Hindus indicates that more sinister propaganda is at work in the matter. We must remember that these are the same people who strive hard to cover up the religious identity of the accused when a crime committed by members of minorities is reported. Can we trust politicians like Tharoor and Rahul Gandhi to ensure that the right policies and the justice delivery system are in place to prosecute crimes against children? I don't think so. Can we trust journalists like Shekhar Gupta and Rana Ayyub to report crimes against children impartially? I don't think so. Can we trust activists like Teesta to fight for victims without thinking about political parties ruling the country? I don't think so.

The reason for my apprehension is this: they will not hesitate to use such heinous crimes as a political tool to further their own agenda. They will also not hesitate to look away from a crime when it doesn't suit their political agenda. This is dangerous for the entire country. Political vultures will destroy the country if left unchecked."

After he spoke, Adhithya's known friend Priyadarshan also spoke about the heinous crime on stage.

"I heartily greet my beloved Indians. I am asking a question, people. Think a little about that question. Who exactly is shielding the rapists in the Unnao and Kathua Rape cases? The environment in the country is rife with tension. Two cases of crimes against women and the subsequent events have stirred up quite a controversy in the national media. Allegations, counter-allegations, and news debates have now eased into candlelight marches, and the cases of law and order have now become issues of political mudslinging and goal scoring.

The Unnao rape case in UP that unfolded earlier this week grabbed media attention when the victim's father died allegedly while in custody. The victim and her family had earlier attempted self-immolation outside the CM's residence. After the father's death, allegations started pouring in from all over. The loudest point was that the state government of UP is 'shielding' the alleged rapists.

The media and opposition were claiming that the Yogi Adityanath-led government in UP has been protective towards the culprits and alleged assaulters of the victim's father. But the police took swift action, and the accused police officers were suspended on the same day. The rape-accused BJP MLA Kuldeep Sengar's brother, Atul, was arrested the next day. Within a span of 48 hours, the case was handed over to the CBI, and an FIR was lodged against Kuldeep Sengar. Kuldeep Sengar has also been arrested. The government has assured full protection and security for the victim and her family.

In the case of the Kathua rape and killing of a minor girl, the crime happened in January. There were no cries of 'shielding' and 'protecting' from the media or the opposition in all these months. The PDP-BJP government had given the case to the Jammu and Kashmir crime branch, and though there was earlier news of Hindus being targeted and forced to leave their villages, the government seems to have completed the investigation, and a charge sheet was filed on Monday.

Suddenly, on the day of the charge sheet filing, the media narrative took an unexpected turn. What has been a grossly underreported case till now has grabbed headlines in print, broadcast, and social media. The Jammu Bar Association had held a protest before the courtroom demanding a CBI probe into the matter, and they have also been demanding action over the Rohingya settlement issue. The Bar Association had also called for a Jammu Bandh over the issues.

The popular narrative that was fed on national media was that the Lawyers of Jammu are 'shielding' the rapists in the Kathua case and obstructing the filing of a charge sheet. Soon, there was massive outrage and debate. Within no time, the issue was given communal colours, and prominent intellectuals termed it 'Hindu Nationalists shielding rapists of Muslim girls." Terms like 'cow-vigilantism', anti-muslim mindset, etc. were incorporated into the narrative too. All this is due to the fact that there were few slogans of 'Jai Shriram' during the lawyer's agitation, and the lawyers carried the national flag while holding protests over the Rohingya issue and the demand for a CBI inquiry in the Kathua rape case. Let's reiterate that. They demanded a CBI inquiry.

Now that more details from Jammu are emerging, the 'shielding rapists' narrative looks dicey. Who exactly is shielding the rapists? BS Slathia, the President of the Jammu Bar Association, yesterday held a press conference and clarified that the Bar Association in no way holds any sympathy for the perpetrators and asserted that they demand the harshest punishment for the crime. He insisted that they are demanding a CBI inquiry for fair and unbiased investigations into the case. He even insisted that in spite of several attempts to clarify to the journalists covering the Jammu Bandh that they are protesting against illegal Rohingya settlement in Jammu and the CBI inquiry into the Kathua case, the narrative of 'shielding rapists' has been propagated endlessly, painting the Bar Association as rapist sympathisers.

The Kathua rape case has been condemned, and the strictest possible punishment is being demanded from every circle, be it the state or central government. J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti has promised every possible action. BJP ministers in the central government have openly called for strict and swift action. Even the Prime Minister has spoken up and said the culprits won't be spared. What is interesting is that even the Congress has declared that it supports the demand for a CBI probe in the case, exactly what the Bar Association has been demanding. Now, it indeed becomes the glaring question: who exactly is shielding the rapists anyway? If the BJP is not, the PDP is not, and the Jammu Bar Association is not, then who is?"

Some people looked at him. While Priyadarshan continued to say, "Fresh details have been emerging from Jammu. There are reports of how the probing SIT has specifically targeted people in the villages and the way the locals have been demanding action against illegal Rohingya settlements and the demographic challenges the region has been facing over the years. It looks like there are deeper, wider, and bigger issues with the area, and the protests and demands for a CBI inquiry are owing to the deeper issues. This brings us to ask, How did the narrative of 'Hindu Nationalists' shielding rapists, 'BJP shielding rapists, etc. get so much media and political traction? Has this been another carefully constructed agenda-driven campaign, like the Church attacks and beef ban, where the media successfully managed to manufacture outrage and divert from real issues? Given the level of hatred this narrative has generated, it becomes evident that we, the people, need to tread carefully whenever the mainstream media highlights an issue. More often than not, the outrages are misplaced, and the real issues are left behind.

The Congress has now started 'disowning' BS Slathia and his leaders after reports emerged that they were associated with them. That still does not answer the question, Who was shielding the rapists after all?"

After he finishes talking, Adhithya gets a chance to speak on stage. He accepted and went to the stage to speak about the Kathua case.

He said, "The Kathua crime speaks of unimaginable horrors. The barbarity and violence meted out to an innocent child have shaken the country to its core. The act reminds one of many such incidents that make one question what has happened to human emotions and compassion. Recently, in Assam, a girl in class 5 was raped and burned alive. There was baby Falak, all of 2, who was beaten and assaulted so badly that it fractured her skull and broke almost every bone in her body.

Sadly, the shame and barbarity do not end with the crime itself. As if the gruesome rape and killing of an innocent child were not enough of a blot on the conscience of society, there are elements now trying their best to gain political momentum from the case.

No sooner than the media's attention fell on the case, there came rampant politicisation and attempts to bring in the age-old communal angle. The charge sheet states that the girl's rape and killing were planned to be a 'lesson' to the nomads, who reportedly face adversity from some of the locals. That might be the case, but the way certain individuals are now painting it, it exposes the filthy, exploitative mindset of a section of society.

We see self-proclaimed intellectuals and crusaders discuss the religion of the victim and perpetrator rather than the bestiality of the crime. Of what happened to that little girl. The pain she suffered. And what we need to do as a society to stop this from happening again. The sheer irony of it is the only thing more unfortunate than society's misplaced intentions.

The media has also shamelessly revealed the identity of the victim. A criminal offence and an ethical breach of massive proportions. It almost seems like a portion of society has turned into vultures, waiting for a dead body to feast upon.

While a section of the media is doing what it does best, there are some elements who have also tried to sugarcoat the heinous crime because of religious, tribal, or political compulsion. That is perhaps as despicable as the crime itself.

There should be no explanation, no excuses, and no logic for rape and assault. Any attempts to explain and attribute become even more unforgivable when the victim is a child, a child who did nothing to deserve it and who often doesn't even understand the violence done to it. Unfortunately, in society's haste to offer justification and explanations, it is the victims who are often forgotten, and their pain and suffering get stacked beneath a long load of political games and media debates.

The 15-year-old rape victim of Kunduli, Odisha, killed herself after a long ordeal. In many cases of rape, criminals go unpunished for years. With the kind of turns the Kathua case is taking, one can only guess how long it will take before justice is delivered to the people behind it.

The time, energy, and resources spent on political blame games and media debates are astonishing. One wonders: if only a fraction of it was spent on finding and mending our own fault lines and strengthening our systems, would there be as many tragic stories as there are now?

The eight-year-old girl will never speak, laugh, or graze her horses again. The least we could do as a society is try to make sure no children are harmed on our watch. Sadly, we are more worried about the gods they were supposed to worship and whether their tragedy can help our agenda. We seem to be a long way from redemption."

Some Muslims spoke amongst themselves upon hearing this. While Adhithya continued to speak angrily about NDTV,

"NDTV was recently awarded the International Press Institute (IPI) India Award for 'excellence in journalism' for its coverage of the Kathua pape and murder case, where it apparently managed to "expose the conspiracy to scuttle" the probe. The jury was headed by the former Attorney General of India, Soli Sorabjee."

Pausing a while, he continued: "The award is for the expose of the conspiracy to scuttle the probe into the heinous Kathua rape and murder, and a strong expose of the political hypocrisy across the political spectrum represented excellence in journalism...," a statement issued by IPI read.

The award to NDTV for its reportage on the Kathua case reveals quite clearly the biases that pervade the ivory towers of the Left. The media coverage of the Kathua case, especially that of NDTV, marked one of the lowest points in the history of Indian media. The fact that one of them is now being awarded for it speaks volumes about the nature of these institutions.

It is important to remember the numerous journalistic ethics that NDTV violated during the Kathua case in order to pursue its political agenda. The Delhi High Court issued notices to several media houses, including NDTV, for revealing the name of the minor rape victim in contravention of the existing rules. The same Court then ordered the media houses to pay Rs. 10 lakh for violating the norms.

If that was not enough, Nidhi Razdan of the same 'news network, live on television, said without a shred of evidence that the victim was targeted due to her Muslim identity. She said that the eight-year-old girl was raped 'because she was Muslim'. It was the most disgraceful attempt to give the heinous crime a communal flavour. During the same debate, one of her panellists claimed that the incident had emerged after three months; therefore, there must have been a cover-up. This was a blatant lie, as the incident had been reported earlier by the media as well. Nidhi Razdan did not correct her.

Not just NDTV, but the entire media created a fake narrative that attempts were made by the lawyers of Jammu to save the perpetrators of the crime. The lawyers were demanding a CBI inquiry over the matter, and there were allegations that the investigations were biassed. There were some shouts of Jai Shri Ram and Bharat Mata Ki Jai too, and invariably, the media came to the conclusion that they were trying to save the criminals.

The Jammu High Court Bar Association was also demanding a CBI probe into the case, claiming that the state police crime branch investigation was botched up. The Bar Council of India, after a thorough investigation, came to the conclusion that the incident of the protests was completely misrepresented by the media and gave a clean chit to the Jammu Bar Association and Kathua Bar Association during the Kathua rape controversy.

The concerns over the investigations were perfectly legitimate. There were reports of forced demographic change in the area, over which protests were being organised. There were also reports of the investigative team picking up civilians at random and torturing them, which escalated the demands for a free and fair CBI investigation into the matter. The media portrayed all these valid concerns as attempts to shield the criminals and, thereby, did a great disservice to the people who appear to have suffered greatly due to the media's agenda.

Amusingly enough, it was Zed News that prevented the life of an innocent youth from being destroyed. A report by Zed News showed CCTV footage from an ATM in Muzaffarnagar, which showed Vinod standing in a queue at the ATM on the day the charge sheet claimed he was in Kathua. This glaring hole was the biggest nail in the coffin for the hallowed manner in which the chargesheet was treated by the media. If the Courts had bought into the media frenzy, Vinod Jangotra's life would have been destroyed. But now, one of the media networks that nearly destroyed the life of an innocent man is being honoured for their irresponsible and motivated coverage of the entire matter.

The concerns over the conduct of the investigative team received a further boost when the Jammu court ordered the lodgement of an FIR against six SIT members who had probed the case for indulging in custodial torture of witnesses, criminal intimidation, and the manufacturing of false evidence. It is alleged that the SIT members wanted to implicate Vinod Jangotra in the case by forcing the witnesses to give false statements against him.

The acquittal of Vinod Jangotra and the Jammu Court's order to register an FIR against the SIT members are the biggest blows to the conduct of the media during the Kathua controversy. In order to pursue a political agenda, the media used the tragic death of an eight-year-old girl. And the NDTV played a prominent, if not leading, role in this disgraceful farce during its coverage of the Kathua case. However, now they are getting awards for it.

It only shows that international institutions only exist to pat the backs of their ideological brethren. They do not care about credibility, they do not care about authenticity, they do not care about due diligence, and they certainly do not care about performance. In the world of the Left-Liberal Clown World, conduct does not matter. As long as a person keeps mouthing the Leftist talking points, they are going to be rewarded for it. Ethics, principles, and performance be damned.

If the media wants to learn why they are on the receiving end of so much hate, they need only take a look at the conduct of those among them who keep receiving awards. The ones who receive awards personify everything that is wrong with the media today. And it's no wonder that they are being thoroughly rejected by ordinary citizens worldwide. It's because they deserve it.

NDTV is the Queen of Fake News in India. They are the biggest manufacturers of fake news in the country. Their journalists are known to first peddle fake news and then attempt to brazen it out when exposed. Its founders are not beacons of morality either. When FIRs are filed against them for alleged crimes, they twist them to give the impression that the FIRs are not about individuals committing crimes but a larger battle between good and evil. They use 'freedom of the press' as a cloak to hide their alleged crimes.

Thus, in hindsight, although the conduct of the entire mainstream media during the Kathua Pape case was atrocious, NDTV was truly the most deserving candidate for the award. It's because NDTV is the embodiment of everything that is wrong with the media."

After expressing his views, Adhithya meets some RSS workers, Muslim friends, and Priyadarshan. Some conversations with them helped him understand the contemporary social issues in his country.

Now he went to meet Darshini at her house. There, he said to her, "Darshini. Some crimes shake the conscience of the nation, Like the one in Aligarh. Or the one in Kathua, Jammu. Millions of Indians mourn such tragedies. But those vocal, be it on print, web, or TV, view it from religious prisms: The divide is between Muslims, who are unsafe, and Hindus, who are wronged. Politicians and media profit, not the nation."

"Can India afford to be divided along communal lines? If it comes to pass, who should be held responsible? Could India as a nation then survive?" asked Darshini.

"Darshini. We have a prototype answer to all these questions. India was divided along communal lines in 1947. Those who created divisions, in this case the British, were responsible, and India lost its' eastern and western limbs in its quest for survival. It all begins with those who set the narrative. The British did it in the decades leading to independence: Assembly elections were held along communal lines: Muslim candidates for Muslim constituencies. Then began the chorus: What would happen to minority Muslims once we leave the Indian shores? The Muslim League and Mohammad Ali Jinnah were thus armed to rob India of its limbs. The resultant tragedy of Partition has few parallels in human history.

India has survived another Partition thus far. But the same narrative is reappearing: Muslims are insecure; their culture, language, and religion are in danger; the majority Hindus would be the oppressors.

If it were the British who fed this narrative in the pre-independence era, it is the media and break-India forces that are fanning the fire in our times. As oppressor Hindus were the theme before the Partition, so is the theme in our times.

Occasionally, the likes of Sadhvi Pragya and Giriraj Singh play into the hands of such forces. At times, "saffron terror" is cooked up, like it nearly did in the tragic 26/11 in Mumbai. Lynchings become part of the leitmotif to stoke fears of the oppressive Hindu majority.

Celebrities and movie stars jump in to fulfil their eternal desire to be in the news. Writers and scientists sign petitions in orchestrated campaigns. Data, like Lokniti-CSDN, surveys how many Muslims and Christians have voted for the BJP. Castes are divided into sub-castes and further sub-castes as Mayawatis, Akhilesh Yadavs, and Lalu Prasads feed themselves fat on its harvests. Important magnets, like Western media and prized economists, are all part of the ecosystem that wants India to go up in flames.

Hindus and Muslims do have different languages and cultures. But both are Indians, and the majority do see themselves as Indians. The minority is Asaduddin Owaisi, who incites with the call of Karbala, or Niranjan Jyoti, who divides with the "ramzada" vs. "haramzada" quip. Hang them out to dry. As you do with the despicable dozen English journalists and at least two English national dailies who are at the beck and call of divisive forces (read casteist, leftist, and dynastic parties) and foreign-funded NGOs.

Let this be a checklist for Muslims:

(a) We have always been made to feel insecure, even as more people greet us on Eid than those who abuse us.

(b) That there is no word "minority" in the Indian constitution; all are Indians.

(c) If "secularism" means denying a Muslim destitute woman (Shah Bano) her rights and reversing the judgement of the Supreme Court, then such secularism must be exposed.

(d) That if Hindu consolidation has happened around the emotive Ram Temple issue, it was stoked by the Congress and not the BJP or RSS.

(e) That for every Akhlaq, Pehlu, and Junaid, there are tens and dozens of Hindu victims at the hands of Muslims that go unreported.

(f) That if the BJP doesn't opt for a Muslim candidate, it doesn't matter as long as the elected representative is fair to everyone in his constituency: be it roads, electricity, toilets, gas, health, or education, all are available to Muslims as they are to Hindus.

(g) That if Muslims are economically backward, it's not because of Hindus; perhaps the reason lies in the lack of scientific temper in Madarsa education and less than fair freedom for women.

Let this be a checklist for Hindus:

(a) True, Indian history is distorted, and neither Congress nor Left intellectuals have been fair to Hindus, but it's no excuse to substitute that anger against a common Muslim.

(b) True, a dozen English journalists and at least two English national dailies only report crimes against Muslims, often hoaxes, but they have been thoroughly exposed in the last five years; their credibility is in tatters thanks to vigorous social media.

(c) Congress and the Left, two parties that stoked fears in Muslims and Dalits, are today the outcasts of the Indian political system.

(d) That Hindu consolidation must not happen at the cost of Muslim alienation; that we don't want new nations in Bengal, Kerala, or Tamil Nadu and their attendant costs;

(e) That for every Zakir Naik and Burhan Wani, there is also a Muslim boatman who gives up his life but saves tourists from drowning in Jhelum, Srinagar.

We have a choice to make if we want to be Hindus, Muslims, or Indians. We ought to ask ourselves if we don't mind another Partition and its horrific cost. We ought to boycott Naseeruddin Shah or Kamal Haasan, Javed Akhtar or Shabana Azmi, Swara Bhaskar or Prakash Raj, who are selective in their outrage. The same ought to happen to Niranjan Jyoti or Asaduddin Owaisi. We ought to outcast a Shekhar Gupta or a Rajdeep Sardesai; a Sagarika Ghose or a Barkha Dutt if the only crime they see is against Muslims; We need to stop an Indian Express or The Hindu from entering our drawing rooms if all they can see is a crime against a Dalit or a Muslim."

After telling these to Darshini, Adhithya took a look at her. He asked:

"Darshini. These are small forces. Pygmies in front of a nation of 1.30 billion Should these handfuls be allowed to decide if we stay together or apart? Would you blame them if tens and thousands of us were butchered and raped in Partition 2.0?"

She had a thought and replied, No, Adhi."

"Muslims need to be confident that this is their India too. Before you blame others, you must ask if your education, equality for women, etc. need a relook. As Maulana Azad once addressed them, You can't be drowned and defeated by anyone else but yourself. Don't hide behind the cloak of "minority" and "secularism" Don't seek privileges; you are no different than any other Indian. Rely on oneself. Those who speak for your safety and stoke your fears couldn't care less for you." After speaking about this, the duo embraced each other and had a talk about their project work and internship activities.

EPILOGUE

So Readers. What do you think about this story? They destroyed a small girl who doesn't even know what religion is, threatened a community, and challenged Indian sovereignty. What do you think about the punishment given to those traitors? By saying that he is a minor and making him escape in spite of the horrible things he did. Do you think it is right to spare him the highest punishment?

Without seeing the caste, community, and language, when you think that they gave voice to justice and Afreen, are you happy that humanity is still alive in this world? Comment on your opinions without forgetting.