MAHILASHAKTI CHANDRAVATI

Chadravati may not be as famous as Mayavati but is no less strong. Mayavati has legacy of Kanshiram. One does not know from where Chadravati got her fighting spirit. A widow from a village of Hariyana is not cut out for and expected to put up a fight against community. Yet she did it.

Hundreds of judgments are being awarded routinely for the case of murder through out length and breadth of India, Apart from the families of killer/s and victim/s no body else really cares. The judgment of double murder case of Manoj and Babli is exceptional. It is a landmark judgment. It’s ruling is as much against the accused brought before the Court as against the accused at large. The accused at large have no names. They have no face. They live as a barbaric clan. They have no faith in judiciary of nation. They are self appointed Judges who pass on the verdict . They call death penalty as honor killing. Their crime is far greater than those who actually killed. Those who actually killed were puppets. Their strings were pulled by harbingers of honor killing. Yet capital punishment is awarded to the puppets and a single motivator whose name and face did became known is let loose. This is the ugly face of India which no doubt will be portrayed as medieval to the world. Not befitting to a nation boasting of one of the earliest civilization.

Chandravati is to be credited for it as much as the court.. The fight is yet to be over. She has expressed the desire to follow it right to the Supreme Court if needed. She is a woman, uneducated one, widowed with 3 children to bring up, There can not be a more representative case for the lowest position on the social ladder. She fought against the community. It tried to outcaste her. She was offered bribe to behave like any other spineless woman. Her daughters were threatened with dire consequences. The police protection was missing on the day of murder. What a committed community ! Committed for wrong cause. Yet she did not buckle. That makes the story of her dogged fight all the more inspiring. She has proved what conviction can do. It can stand for education. It can match money and muscle power.

It is only hope that her story will not end the way of Shahbano story ended. That was another landmark judgment brought by another dogged fight form another lady. The media for once had done a good job for good cause. Please continue with it.

Arvind Khare
Khare_am@yahoo.com
9820701210