Washington Post article on Delhi juvenile rapist is a questionable case of pre-judgment

The December 16 gang-rape of a 23-year-old medical student in Delhi is of the most discussed incidents of recent times. According to National Crime Records Bureau​ (NCRB) data, one incident of rape occurs every 20 minutes in India. However, what made this case stand out was the extremely brutal nature of the gang-rape, which finally led to the death of the young woman.

Five out of the six rapists were handed death sentences by the Delhi High Court and one of them escaped major punishment since he was a juvenile at the time, just six months shy of his 18th birthday. The subsequent furore which started from the incident even forced the government to contemplate changing the laws regarding rape and the age of juveniles in case of serious crimes like rape and murder. Now, nearly two years after the incident, the focus is back on the 'juvenile' again, courtesy an article in the Washington Post. 

The Post has published an article about the 'juvenile', now an adult. The article, written by Rama Lakshmi, is a 'fluff piece' as is known in journalistic jargon. The article paints him as a devout fast-keeping follower of a certain religion, who is an award winning painter and a cook ready to experiment with his art.

Rama Lakshmi waxes eloquent about how the 'juvenile' frequently draws girls and women wearing different dresses. It is enough to gross us out with revulsion, with all kinds of creeps like those from the TV series Dexter flashing through the mind.

Moreover, the article virtually gives a free pass to the rapist without asking any pointed questions. The article says, "His most recent painting shows a crowned young woman in a flowing, regal yellow and blue robe, looking into an ornate mirror on the wall. The painting is called 'The Princess'." Well, the Delhi braveheart was a princess as well, one who had her dreams cut brutally short by the savage brutality of the rapists, Is painting a favourable picture of the man who repeatedly unleashed the maximum brutality a justice to her memory?

Recently Arun Jaitley was criticised for apparently referring to the Delhi gang-rape as "one small" incident of rape. TV channels were busy taking reactions from Nirbhaya's parents. But this is far more likely to hurt their sensibilities and sentiments.

Towards the end, the article reveals that the 'juvenile' has never ever confessed to his his participation in the heinous crime. That is probably the most significant part of the article, and perhaps the most bizarre one as well. One can't help but question why the peg of the article wasn't about the 'juvenile' still living in denial. For all we may know, he may be biding his time at the correctional facility without having a change of heart. In a sense, the article alludes that he has already had a change of heart without any concrete evidence behind it. And that is the most disturbing part. The entire argument when the incident happened was whether the juvenile was mentally adult while committing the crime. The jury is still out on it, but there is clearly no trace of remorse in his words. 

There is an increasing trend of juveniles being involved in sexual crimes. Be it changing social milieu or degrading moral fabric of society, the trend is too stark to be avoided or ignored. It is a fair point to say that juvenile offenders should be allowed to start afresh in their lives after their time in correctional facilities. While it is always difficult not to cast aspersions, this is precisely why the identity of the offender is kept under wraps so as to give the person a second chance. But to give a charitable twist to the offender is being naive at best and trivialising rape at worst. It sort of shows how easy it is for an underage person to get away after committing the most brutal and heinous crimes. It disrespects the thousands of rape victims who, after their traumatic experiences, continue to struggle with their lives in a society that sees them as taboo.

Let him regret, repent, try to become a good person.Sage Valmiki was a dacoit before he repented for his acts. Let the 'juvenile' mend his way. It can be a story 10 years down the line. For now though, it only mutilates our bruised souls.