The Gangs of Guwahati

Over the last week or so the media has gone into a frenzy... what’s new about that you might ask. The Guwahati Molestation case is prime time news for all News Channels alike. No channel has missed the opportunity to beam this "prime-time entertainment" to its viewers. And why would they, for the sex-starved men and the justice-seeking women lap it up with equal vigour. Even the inquisitive children sneak a peek when their elders aren't watching over them. After all we live in a country where we haven’t yet heard of Parental-Control packages in TV viewership. And with nobody to watch over the all-powerful-media, no eyebrows are raised when they beam such disturbing images.

Since much as already been said and written about the moral stature of the men of Guwahati (and across India in general), I will not beat the horse to death any more. Instead, in the midst of all this a lot of questions keep cropping in my head, that begs for an answer.

• What is a 17 year old doing in a bar?
• Why did the bar not check the age of patrons before admitting them?
• Why were they served drinks without checking their age?
• What prompted this outrage from the crowd?
• What was the "part-time" reporter doing there with a camera at the precise moment?
• Why did the molesters not attack the reporter when they knew he was filming them?
• Why did the police take 40 minutes to reach the spot which was just a kilometer away?
• Why did the channel air the footage so shamelessly?
• Why did the NCW which is supposed to guard the victim, reveal her identity?
• Why the main accused is still not apprehended?
• Where is the Human Rights Violation group when you need them?
• Why did the police initially dismiss it as a stray incident? How many incidents do they need to make it a relevant issue?
• Why has the bar not been shut down for allowing minors into their premises?
• Why no action was taken on the police for arriving late at the crime scene?

Although a gang of only 30 members were involved in the actual crime, there are many gangs that were involved in the larger picture.

The Bar Gang - that allowed underage teens to get drunk

The Police Gang - that arrived late and still doing a shoddy work of catching the culprits

The Media Gang - that beamed the images so shamelessly

The By-Stander Gang - that could have stopped the rogue Gang

The NCW Gang - that released the identity of the girl

The Politician Gang - that plays the blame game and tries to derive maximum mileage from the incident

Now that the story is approaching its sell-by date the question on my mind is "Will the Gangs of Guwahati ever be punished?"

Picture Courtesy: TNT Magazine