Release of Ebook 'Convoluted: Tales of Mystery and Terror-1'!

Freelance writer-author Chinmay Chakravarty has released his new Ebook titled 'Convoluted: Tales of Mystery and Terror-1' on Amazon Kindle. In a longer short story format the Ebook is a crime thriller based on the present surge of crimes against women in India. 

Although the Ebook is not marked as a part of a Series, it tells us this is the first Tale which means the author must be having several plots up his sleeve! 

The Ebook is also available on KindleUnlimited that can be read for free! Here is the link to the Ebook! 

Crimes Against Women: The Bestial Lows!

 Accept it or not: feudalism had never left India. The feudal forces of exploitation, torture and crimes still flourish, particularly in the northern belt of the country including, prominently, the most populous state of India, Uttar Pradesh (UP), with its around 20 Crore people. This state has been the hotbed of crimes against women, communal violence, maximum custodial deaths, fake encounters and so on for decades, even though its crime rate does not still top the list thanks to its enormous population.  

 

The powerful upper castes here continue playing the dominating roles as landlords, politicians, criminals, rapists and mafias. And they work in tandem forming a huge empire of vested interests that percolates down favorably to the local authorities, including the police in particular. Naturally, there has always been an overpowering spirit of mutual protection between them. Whenever any of the feudal lords is under a cloud of doubt or danger the corresponding forces get into motion by engineering cover-ups or the like, finally ensuring their protection against all odds.

 

All low-caste inhabitants are untouchable for them, except their women. The upper-caste men or their off-springs or their domesticated goons prowl constantly for an opportunity to torture, rape and kill low-caste women, sometimes as measures of punishment for what they decide is wrong, and sometimes just for carnal pleasures. The poor down-trodden low-caste menfolk, subdued in a continuous process of oppression, watch dumb and numb, and if some dare to protest the feudal counterparts in the local administration act immediately, suppressing them ruthlessly. Of course, there would be exceptions always when low-caste individuals manage to infiltrate the upper-caste bastion, assuming important positions of power.

 

During the last few COVID-19 infested months the notorious state has been witnessing a series of brutal rapes and rape-murders, one after the other as if those beasts achieved acquired immunity to possible action by the administration or the justice system. One of such inhuman acts happened on the 14^th of September 2020 at Hathras in UP when a 19-year-old low-caste girl was waylaid, abducted, gangraped and physically brutalized by four upper-caste beasts, almost to the point of death. With her bruised-battered body, her spine broken and her tongue cut the victim just managed to reach home, and was immediately admitted in the local hospital. Later, as her condition became critical, she was transported to a hospital in Delhi. Details of her treatment there are unclear as the media that time were head-to-foot engaged in the investigation of some glam gals.

 

The media or some of it, hopelessly polarized as they are in India, woke up only when the unfortunate girl died on 29^th September. They were forced to stay awake as the UP police hurriedly took away the body to Hathras, and cremated it around 2.30-3.30 AM on the next day, without the victim’s family’s wish or consent or permission. And then only, the media decided to make it a national outrage recalling, justifiably, the horrors of the Delhi Gangrape case in 2012 that shook the nation leading to a mass movement against the rapists and drastic changes in the legalities of crimes against women.

 

The UP police went on with its brazen act. Some of their top cops even said that it was not a case of rape at all: the girl died due to a neck injury the intensity of which made her bite off her tongue. Their sayings were supposedly based on tests done one week after the incident, and the final autopsy report. More acts followed in apparent haste: the victim’s family was isolated, their phones being allegedly snatched away; the whole village of Hathras was sealed not allowing anybody to enter or exit; political leaders of the opposition parties were blocked, arrested and even manhandled; the now-desperate media were also not allowed to enter Hathras.

 

First, the police gave the COVID-19 excuse for such coercive measures, and then, as the state Chief Minister announced a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe, they said no one would be allowed to enter till the probe was over. The family must be protected from outside influence and any possible tempering of evidence must be prevented, they also maintained. The top cops further strengthened the apparent cover-up by saying that it was a conspiracy to fuel upper-caste versus lower-caste community tension.

 

The nation exploded then: people, women activists and political parties coming out on streets protesting; the High Court giving a notice to state government to explain the hurried cremation; Human Rights groups asking for explanations and so on. But crimes against women in the state continued unabated, at least two more women being brutalized and murdered in the last two days. The feudal status-quo and the brazenness only got heightened, with the state being ruled by the most powerful national political party. Instead of promising stern action and preventive measures the ruling dispensation chose to make mockery of protesting opposition leaders and others. In many instances of rape-murders in the recent past leaders of that political party were found to be involved, at times directly. A well-known former judge added more fuel to fire by building up a theory as to why men rape women, the COVID-induced unemployment being the main reason for such crimes, according to him.

 

In spite of the fast-tracking justice system in regard to crimes against women that was developed post 2012 Delhi case and the recent executions of three of the perpetrators, there seems to be no deterrent to the enemies of humanity who continue to wreak havoc on the society as they wish. This issue is seemingly beyond laws and the justice system. The society at large must take the final call, to prevent more horrors like Nirbhaya, Hathras and others in future. The society must break out of the exploitative feudal values and the vested interests’ nexus. Governments can only provide more effective laws, if at all; the society only can implement to ensure a protective environment for women.  

India: Protecting The Rapist

Juvenile or not—rape is the worst adult crime possible. Anybody who commits this crime is thus the worst criminal and justice must be meted out to him as sternly and ruthlessly as possible in total disregard to the age factor. The horrible Delhi gangrape of 16^th December, 2012 is still a nightmare in the minds of most of the right-thinking people of this country. Therefore, their pain and shock at the release of the most brutal of the rapists who happened to be just days short of the juvenile age of 18 as fixed by international and national standards is only natural. The disturbed and crying mother of Nirbhaya is a sight that can rattle the conscience of any except the ‘animals’ in human garb. The continuing protests in the national capital are just a reminder of the mass uprising against juvenile crimes in 2012 and onwards.

A juvenile criminal can be kept in a remand home for a maximum of three years for supposed ‘reform’ and then has to be released as per the prevailing law, international standards and a host of ‘child’ rights hue and cry. Thus, on the completion of that period on 18^th of December, 2015 the Delhi High court refused to extend the stay and accordingly the ‘animal’ was released on Sunday, the 20^th December in an undisclosed location in Delhi under police protection and supervision of an NGO. This would not be inhuman to say that such an act reminds us of taking unwanted dogs or cats on a ride and releasing them on locations from where they could not possibly return home.

Against all judicial odds the Delhi Commission for Women appealed against the release in the Supreme Court of India and an eager nation waited for the final verdict. Disappointing all righteous souls the Apex court had no other option but to dismiss the petition today, the 21^st of December, 2015. The judicial dilemma is palpable—the verdict delivered despite the opposition of the nation, the opposition of the Union Government and the opposition of most right-minded political leaders. What could the helpless mother of Nirbhaya do now apart from tearfully expressing her resolve to go on fighting the system that seems to be more interested in protecting the rapists and not listening to the victims?

Of course, there is no prejudice or bias in the judicial verdicts—because prevailing laws cannot be set aside unless there is a new legislation on juvenile acts. This brings us to the political scenario. In our wonderfully ‘democratic’ country we often find prominent political leaders trying hard to protect their rapist sons or relatives or even themselves from the law. Many of them question the victims or the survivors on what they wore or how they behaved before being raped rather than the perpetrators. Some of most prominent leaders even justify such acts as ‘natural outbursts of masculinity’. The archaic ‘feudalistic’ mindset of the largest democracy of the world refuses to leave it alone.

It also reflects predominantly on the political class that the Juvenile Justice(Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 is still not passed despite being approved in Lok Sabha in May this year. Well, for most of the political leaders who now join the ‘holy’ opposition the new ‘democratic’ standard is to prevent Parliament from functioning. Two full sessions of Parliament including the current one have been washed out almost completely thanks to their ‘so just and so non-corrupt’ stands. In our wonderfully ‘democratic’ country even ruling leaders call the Prime Minster a ‘psychopath and coward’. So pray, who would ‘demean’ themselves trying to find ways to take care of the victims rather than protecting the rapist.

Time came in 2012 and time comes again now that people make their crucial decisions themselves instead of depending on their so-called representatives. 

Crimes Against Women: Bollywood Villains Walking Out Real!

Even C-grade Bollywood (Hindi film industry based in Mumbai or earlier Bombay) movies show a kind of stark realism in terms of depraved, regressive and malignantly anti-woman villains. If you have been following Bollywood movies for at least the last three decades you must have noticed villains who when confronted with rapes committed (on screen) by their son/sons or male relatives normally say with pride, “He is a boy only…they commit mistakes man, please understand. In my prime time I too had done a lot of merrymaking. I’ll even burn this city to save my son!” These villains are dirty rich mostly being smugglers or business tycoons or plain dons and they carry the concerned ‘screen’ police force in their pockets. They do get punished in the end by the heroes, but after all the gory regressive oppressive chauvinistic feudalistic details shown gloriously by the filmmakers who definitely seem to pander to a sizeable male section of our society. However, you can hardly deny the ‘realism’ being portrayed with ‘painstaking’ details, particularly after you take notice of what has been happening in certain states of India like Uttar Pradesh in the perspective of the on-going General Elections of the country. This particular state of Uttar Pradesh has always been feudalistic and openly anti-woman—a point that we have mentioned here on several occasions.  Stiff opposition to Women Reservation Bill came from this state only cutting across all leaders of all political parties. Having easy access to modern weapons this kind of feudalistic practices is the most dangerous one and therefore we can say that Uttar Pradesh along with few other northern states are the worst possible enemies of womankind on our planet earth.

Veteran political leader of Uttar Pradesh, ex-Chief Minister and father of the present Chief Minister, Mulayam Singh Yadav  is the Samajwadi or Socialist Party (SP) of India Supremo, though his party is mostly full of anti-social or feudalistic elements. He seems to be severely pained by fast track courts delivering death or life sentences to horrible rapists in Delhi, in Mumbai and in other places of the country in the aftermath of the barbaric Delhi gangrape and the amendments in the criminal law that followed.  While asking for votes in an election campaign this great leader commented on the crimes of rape, “Boys are just boys…they naturally make mistakes. They should not be punished with death. Our party opposes the strict laws and the possible misuse of the same.” A national outrage erupted and even after that the great leader refused to apologize, so entrenched in his ‘beliefs’. What is more, his counterpart in Maharashtra, Abu Azmi, hardly caring for the outrage or sentiments blatantly decided to add to it, although one may say dictating a little more ‘balanced’ view. In an interview to a newspaper this fittingly ‘socialist’ leader reportedly said, “You see…the rapist is punished with death because he is guilty. But the woman or the rape survivor is equally guilty, and so both should be hanged. In fact all women, married or unmarried, having sex with a man with consent or being forced should be hanged.” His ‘solution’ encompasses hanging of the rape survivor too if not already murdered.

Well, this is the way our ‘leaders’ think of or about women. This abysmally shameful exploitative and perverted mentality prevails despite the national reawakening, despite the movement for prevention of crimes against women and despite the stricter laws being formulated. What can we do? We must carry on with our crusade nationwide and at this moment of elections we must vote against all such depraved animals of our society. India, the holy land of the Shakti cult or the revered Goddesses, we must rise up to the challenge, and restore and ensure full respect and complete safety for women.

Friday The 13th: Death For Delhi Rapists, PM For Modi And Life Ban For IPL Spot Fixers!

Friday the 13^thSeptember, 2013. If you remember the movie for the sheer horror of it you must remember this particular date for the sheer excitement of it. One-two-three…on three counts of major developments in India. This date is considered unlucky as per superstitious beliefs of Western culture, but this particular date proved auspicious and lucky on three major counts. An auspicious beginning for a rape-tormented country as all the four accused in Delhi Gangrape rape were sentenced to death by a fast-track court in Delhi. It definitely proved lucky for Narendra Modi as the faction-ridden BJP finally managed to take the bold decision of anointing him as its Prime Ministerial candidate for General Elections-2014. A triumph for all genuine cricket lovers as the disciplinary committee of the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) imposed life bans on Sreesanth and Ankeet Chavan for Spot fixing in IPL. Proof enough to make you reconsider the scare long attached to ‘Friday the 13^th’!

Crowds Waiting For Verdict

The whole nation waited with unabated breath as the fast-track court in Delhi reserved its verdict for the afternoon of Friday the 13^th September, 2013. Finally dot at 2.30pm Indian time yesterday the court straightaway announced its verdict of death penalty for all four accused in the Delhi Gangrape case. The Bench observed that the shocking brutality involved in this case made it ‘rarest of rare’, and the criminals could not be spared the capital punishment. Whole of India welcomed the decision—the victim’s family expressing happiness at justice being given after nine months; the political parties considering it as the beginning of a new chapter for increasing conviction rate and preventive punishment in crimes against women; almost all intellectuals saying such stern measures are indeed required to instill fear into the minds of rapists and all women activists and youth leaders welcoming it as a positive step. Huge crowds gathered in front of the fast-track court demanded the same punishment to the brutal juvenilecurrently lodged in reformatory for a maximum of three years.

Modi Anointed By BJP President Rajnath Singh

If you thought the anointment of the Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as Chairman of BJP’S Campaign Committee in June this year as the first step in eventually making him the Prime Ministerial candidate too you were almost proven wrong. Because, the BJP found itself back in square one as earlier. The pioneering BJP veteran Lal Krishna Advani who resigned from his posts prior to the earlier Modi anointment and had to be injected a series of right-wing ‘advice’ to comply opposed this time too and kept crucial senior leaders on his side.  BJP troubleshooters worked throughout the night of 12^th September and commendably succeeded in convincing senior leaders on the side of Advani to participate in the party’s Parliamentary Board meeting the next day for the formal announcement. This time the supportive right-wing organizations did not stay limited to only advice, but volleyed directly for Narendra Modi. However, the veteran still could not be won over and Advani did not participate in the Board meeting and instead shot out a strong-worded letter to the BJP President.

The BJP President said he had followed the anti-incumbency factor and the growing countrywide popularity of Modi that justified his decision. Finally around 6pm on Friday the 13^th September Narendra Modi was declared as BJP Prime Ministerial candidate for the forthcoming general elections. Old guards are getting sidelined for allowing in the new wave and this seems to be the right step. However it is naïve to think that the most powerful old guard Advani would behave nicely and cozily hereafter. Apparent divisions in BJP are speculated widely by both the media and the ruling parties particularly Congress.   With Rahul Gandhi almost projected as the UPA Prime Ministerial candidate General Elections-2013 is set to assume the form of a presidential poll like in USA. However, the states and the immense diversity of India makes any general elections altogether a different proposition blessed with glorious uncertainties. The alleged polarization factor of Modi form of politics is also another serious angle to look into.

Chavan and Sreesanth

Finally some good news for genuine cricket lovers. Two of the cricket fixers in IPL Spot Fixing Scandal, S Sreesanth and Ankeet Chavan, who were arrested and jailed in recent times, were banned for life by the disciplinary committee of the BCCI yesterday following an extensive report submitted by the anti-corruption committee of the Board.  Three others were handed lighter sentences while the fate of the king-pin spot-fixer Ajit Chandila was not yet decided. Meanwhile, Sreesanth said that he would appeal against the life ban in court.

Friday the 13^th. A date to remember. For positive reasons, not the scares!

Delhi Gangrape: Convicted But Debate Delays Punishment!

India is a country much used to outrages and debates. Maybe we have mentioned this earlier in these pages. When something horrific happens the nation gets outraged. By the time outrage eases debate takes over. And by the time debate takes over everything about it literally gets over. Back to square one the nation waits for the next most catastrophic to happen.

A fast track court in Delhi convicted all the four accused (the main accused was found hanging in his cell in Tihar Jail sometime back and the another got away with three years for being a ‘minor’) of the Delhi Gangrape case on September 10, 2013. They were found guilty in all thirteen charges made by police against them. Judgment was to be declared today, but got postponed till Friday as debate took over. This is despite all the major forces pitched in this case including the victim’s family, major political parties, the women leaders and the youth organizations demanding death for the rapists most emphatically and vehemently.

Unfortunately in India the worst possible criminal finds a ‘defense’ lawyer who always vouches for the ‘innocence’ of his/her clients. Even terrorist Ajmal Kasab who butchered innocents in full view of the world got a lawyer to ‘defend’ him. The courts listen to their arguments too and various irrelevant factors like ‘poverty’, ‘economic compulsions’, ‘impressionable age’, ‘no previous criminal records’, ‘the families of the criminals’ etc get brought into play. As if the criminals are driven to commit unheard of brutalities by these factors only and at heart they are the angels of angels. What to say or do, this is our legal system ‘justice delayed is justice denied’ is a part of it.

For God’s sake, why a sub-human criminal cannot be considered that and that only! Why their inhuman acts are no longer important as the cases progress? Why their families are dragged into the picture by covering them publicly and even airing what they have to utter? Why talk of reforming these brutes as if the honour and lives they have devoured are material enough only for getting outraged and starting debates? How do you know you can reform them? Won’t these perverts clutch at the straw to escape capital punishment? How can you risk the honour and lives of many more women again when you let loose these ‘reformed’ animals in the society? High time India stops to be a ‘democracy’ when you deal with enemies of mankind.

We demand Death for the Rapists. Don’t ever wait for the ‘rarest of rare cases’, give them death in every case. Don’t get outraged in your comfort zones. Don’t debate. Come out in the streets. Take Action. Now!  

Delhi Gangrape Conviction: Brutal Juvenile Rapist Gets Away With 3 Years!

In the first conviction of the 16-December horrific Delhi Gangrape case the Juvenile Justice Board today in Delhiannounced the verdict awarding a sentence of three years to be served in a reformatory home to the juvenile accused and considered deducting eight months already served by the accused in jail from the three years. Because, the accused was just six months short of 18 years of age on the night of the crime. And, not because he was the most brutal of the six depraved animals, not because he was instrumental in inflicting the most inhuman tortures on the victim leading to her death on 29^th December and nearly murdering her male friend too and not because he was the chief instigator of the sub-human herd. He was in fact found guilty in all these except for the attempt to murder of the male friend and this perfectly made this gangrape ‘the rarest of rare’ case where death penalty has been officially recommended by the new Rape Law recently. Besides, the animal did attain maturity age when the trial began. But the ‘minor’ culprit is likely to go scot-free after spending just 28 months in a reformatory.

Huge irony that someone capable of committing the most adult crime possible on earth just manages to get away thanks to the skewed justice system. True, in Indiachild abuse has also been a major problem over the decades, but why not keep a provision in the juvenile justice law for exceptions or rarities to punish the criminals—major or minor. In the recent Mumbai Gangrape case too one of the five depraved animals pleaded for being a ‘minor’ and so far confusion prevails on his actual age. Well, in this Godforsaken country possibly a new avenue for corruption has just opened with equally depraved and greedy animals manufacturing forged ‘minor’ birth certificates for all prospective rapists.

India—where rape laws differ from rapist to rapist. If the rapist happens to be a VVIP or VIP or Politician or Spiritual Guru or anybody with lot of corrupt clout the law would get thwarted even after FIR being lodged and only the victim or survivor of their depravity would be declared ‘mentally unstable’ or ‘of loose character’ or ‘whatever the powerful ones decide’. What to expect from a country with a sinking economy matched marvelously by rotten politics. Here politics rules over economics, caste-religion-language based politics decide who is a terrorist or who is a patriot, vote-bank politics decide who are the citizens in suitably divided chunks so as to help politics win again and again, a country used to frequent national outrages and equally frequent forgetfulness and a country where millions never actually attain maturity. Okay, as responsible citizens we have to respect the Laws. But, what about respecting women or the values of our society? You decide... NOW.