December 8, 2014 ☼ Provocations ☼ Public Policy
This is an archived blog post from The Acorn.
A driver affiliated to Uber, an innovative taxi service, is accused of raping a passenger in New Delhi. The driver has been apprehended, and has been found to have a previous conviction of rape. To ensure such incidents do not recur, the Delhi government has banned Uber.
The Delhi government must go further. It should not stop at Uber. It should ban all fleet taxi operators including Meru, Megacabs and so on. Why stop there? Who checks the criminal records of all the black-and-yellow taxis that operate in the city? They should be banned too. A number of tourist taxi permit holders also run taxi services. Since we do not know if their drivers are checked for criminal records, and are all potential rapists, they too should be banned.
Auto rickshaws must be banned too. For similar reasons. Bus, Metro and train drivers should be caged into their driving compartments every morning and released only when their shifts are completed. The keys of the compartment must be deposited with the local police station.
Even this won’t solve the problem. Data released by the Delhi Police show that only 4% of the arrested rapists were strangers (like taxi drivers) and 96% were persons known to the victim or her family.
The Delhi government needs to go after the 96%. Helpfully, Rukmini S’s analysis in The Hindu tells the Delhi authorities just what to do. Almost one-third of the rape cases heard in court involved consenting couples, where the plaintiff’s parents accused the male in court. The Delhi government should ban relationships between adult men and adult women. Boyfriends should be banned. Husbands should be banned too to ensure the problem of marital rape is solved.
The study shows a large number of cases involved neighbours or acquaintances, as well as members of the woman’s immediate family. The Delhi government should ban neighbours, acquaintances and members of immediate family too. After all, few check the criminal records of these people.
The Delhi government should set an example. It must be seen to be doing something strong to protect women. Delhi’s example should be emulated by authorities in other cities.
No bamboo reeds. No flute.
Afterthought: Policemen, soldiers and paramilitary service personnel have also been accused and convicted of rape. Priests, religious leaders and godmen too. We should ban…
Warning: This post is an example of a literary style called satire. It employs sarcasm. It should not be taken literally. This warning has been issued in the public interest when real life and satire are sometimes indistinguishable.
Update:The Union government is considering banning Uber across India.
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