Citizens At Work

Do protesters make politicians uneasy? Not really. Not yet. Although this time the politicians and police did not dare suggest it was the victim’s fault. They were decidedly uncomfortable because ordinary citizens – both decent men and women were out on the streets in their droves protesting at the assumptions of the rapists – that they would get away with it as so many had done before them; that whatever they did, however violent their actions and however public the place, the police would try not to register the case on some flimsy excuse - that the victim would be blamed for being out late on public transport (or for wearing a salwaar kameez, a saree or jeans) that the police and politicians would try and draw attention away from their crime and make their actions (the poor helpless culprits that they are) the victim’s fault. 

Citizens were incensed at the confidence these rapists had that it would be so.

The rapists did not expect citizens to react quite the way they did. Nor did the politicians and police. At least not so many of them. Their first attempt was to try and quash the droves of protest marchers by gettingthe police to water blast them. Wonder what, about a peaceful protest, that is allowed within the Indian constitution so alarmed them this time?

I think, nip the trend in the bud is what they really want. It isn’t a new trend but the numbers of citizens protesting is growing and that makes them distinctly uncomfortable.

Even if they don't give a whit their hand, for once, is being forced. The pressure isn’t letting up. There have been marches all over the country. The politicians are used to dictating what actions to take, against whom and never mind why. They are used to working the puppet strings and now, to their extreme discomfort, the puppets are banding together and forcing their hand.

Citizens on marches on this scale aren’t what they are used to. It started with those movements against corruption and is now spilling over into movements against rapes. Whatever next? How are they expected to keep their goons happy? How are they expected to show their power is supreme if they are forced to take action by these little upstarts, these nobodies, who belong to their constituencies? Even if the action forced out of them is the mere mouthing of words against rapists, it compromises their position of supreme power.

Previously they believed the aam insaan would quieten down after expending their energies on a march, satisfied for having let off steam; that within no time it would be business as usual with them dictating terms or dispensing favours with little regard for the law as they'd been used to. But this time they tried to nip the peaceful protest marches in the bud by, as mentioned earlier, getting the police to water blast the marchers. These marches are perhaps getting to be too huge to handle. More power to the people. United, they can not only conquer mountains but even politicians.
We understand how little politicians care if we denounce them but let’s do it anyway. They've tried muzzling social media before and it hasn't worked. And so, shame on them.

They will be watching carefully to gauge the mood of their voters. On the face of it, if it means their votes are compromised, they will start giving the cause more lip service. If it compromises the blatancy with which rapists get away with attacks, so be it. They don't want some upstart to win the next elections (in 2014) and gain all that power and state machinery simply because they sided with rapists.

Citizens’ united actions are the most effective way to make our democracy work and to force their hands. If there are any more marches I hope everyone who can, will take active part and social media will give the marches enough of an airing before the fact and after.

Here’s the link again that shows Indian citizens at work.
 
This is what people are saying on twitter. Please click on the picture to enlarge the print. There are a million more tweets on the same topic.