Rukmini Sen
“Humiliation is not so much a physical or corporeal injury;
in fact, it is more a mental/ psychological injury that leaves a permanent scar
on the heart” (Guru, 2010). The need for this paper (rather, thoughts
elaborated somewhat coherently) arises from recent reportings on sexual
violence on lower caste women in UP
and Haryana and the felt need for politicizing humiliation because it is about
time to engage with the question whether rape is only an act of violent sex or sexual violence? As ‘events’ these rapes occupied much less
journalistic, academic or even activist interrogation than the other event—16th December Delhi
gang rape. Of course Bhagana and Badaun were actually othered by not managing to capture the imagination of the nation. Who is titled Nirbhaya [1]by
the media (not that this author is supporting the title), and why does it get
unnoticed when four gang raped girls camp
in the streets of Delhi (with their families and other people from the Bhagana village)
with their bare bodies (bare in the
sexually violated sense)? It is indeed necessary to reflect why movement(s)[2]
do not take adequate cognizance of bare humiliated bodies of two Badaun
OBC women murdered and hung from trees on brazen display in full public view as
if to show that the act was intended meant to be a chilling spectacle of higher
caste dominance, and not just an act of violent sex? Of course there is a certain
process that of the criminal justice system that any of these ‘crimes’ go
through. A local Hisar court through fast track has acquitted the four accused
in abduction and gang raping the Bhagana girls last week.