What's better for women.....; a male chauvinist Nagaland or matrilineal Meghalaya ??
New Delhi
The phenomenon of crime against women now in national debate is actually
also a conundrum - a sort of mystification.
Of course the video footage episode from Manipur is the present trigger. India has debated the delicate and yet highly emotive issue time and again. The rape and murder of 'Nirbhaya' in 2012 was a case in point.
The crisis in Manipur is certainly not a case of 'crime against women', it is more complex and the various facets of ethnic strife ought to be understood.
But 'crime against women' in Rajasthan and West Bengal are also part of immense challenges and crises everyone ought to be sensitive to. The SICKULARISM thinks Narendra Modi will be cornered merely harping on Manipur and hence the best strategy about West Bengal and Rajasthan is not to discuss them.
This will boomerang!
The Meghalaya police in its latest district wise figures say there have been as many 603 cases of crime against women in the recent past. "Yes, it is very serious and we have seen that crime against have been there," Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said.
Like Economics, Sociology too cannot be a durable truth. It requires constant attention, closer
scrutiny and revision. Such a notion is well reflected in the case of crime against women in different
parts of India.
How, which of the two worlds - a pro-feminists or matrilineal one or male-chauvinistic
one suits women better ?
In 2021, the National Crime Records Bureau (NRB) of the Union Home Ministry has thrown a new challenge.
In contrast to Meghalaya, another Christian-stronghold state in the region, Nagaland, is generally known as a
male chauvinist society. Yet the women are much safer here. The crime figures/
cases against women in the year 2020 in Nagaland stood at mere 37.
In contrast, the Meghalaya figures stood at 568 during the year. Meghalaya is a Matrilineal society of
Garos, Khasis and Jaintia tribes.
Some years back the declining sex ratio in Haryana was given out as the chief reason for growing cases
of rape and other crime against women. Around 2012, the Haryana sex ratio figures stood
at 877 females for every 1,000 men.
It was arguably said that the skewed sex ratio keeps men frustrated and sex-starved.
They even have to get brides from other states and other communities often by paying a hefty amount.
Here again things are perplexing and the Haryana example cannot be cited in the case
of Meghalaya.
In this north eastern state the female-male sex ratio is 986 women for every 1,000 men; and
this has increased from 975 per 1000 males between 2001 and 2011.
So where do we go from here? One independent state legislator Julius Kitbok Dorphang, an ex-militant,
was arrested for raping a 14-year-old in 2017. The well known rebel leader was also founder-chairman of an
armed insurgent group Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) and was sentenced to 25 years in
jail by a special court in August this year.
Militancy or insurgency in other northeastern states such as Nagaland and Mizoram are never known
for such incidents against women. So, the ex-HNLC founder's case was an exception.
Meghalaya also has high cases of assault on women with intent to outrage women modesty,
and cruelty by husbands or relatives. Yes, that's despite the tradition of Matrilineal practices.
In the context of 2023 debate, former Union Home Minister and Congress leader P Chidambaram
says, even if it is admitted that there have been “incidents of violence against women in Bihar, West Bengal
and Rajasthan”, they could not be compared with the “relentless violence in Manipur”.
He has a point. Problems in Manipur are more complex at different layers.
But if 'crime against women' is an ongoing menace either in Rajasthan or elsewhere.
"Over one lakh cases of crimes against women have been registered in Rajasthan in the last
four years. A total of 33,000 cases pertaining to sexual assault on women in Rajasthan,"
Union Minister Anurag Thakur alleges.
Let us take the debate further. P Chidambaram also has merits when he says,
"Are there any Kukis left in the valley? Are there any Meiteis left in Churachandpur and other hill districts
of Manipur?”
Crime against women as a challenge ought to be handled unitedly by all stakeholders.
In several cases, locals in Meghalaya say, you will find the stepfather has committed the gruesome act
against the young female member.
The women and young girls are generally caught unawares. In many cases the
unsuspecting men would be under the influence of alcohol or even drugs.
In some cases, these crimes have occurred in moving vehicles by "unsuspecting people whom the victims
knew".
There are myriad of issues related to men-women relationships in the socio-political
context.
A law was adopted in 2018 by the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council that said,
any Khasi woman who marries a non-Khasi as well as her offspring born out of such marriage
shall be deemed as non-Khasi who shall lose the Khasi status and all privileges and benefits
as a member of the Khasi tribe".
In other words, despite matrilineal systems, the real political power even in Meghalaya is with the men.
The number of women legislators is fairly low. However, a Naga family system is generally male
chauvinistic. But women are safe; and even insurgents would not disturb women and children.
There are instances in Nagaland, troublemakers have let go the 'targets' once the wife came forward
and negotiated the matter. "Apnar maiki karoney chharise de (We are leaving you because your wife
intervened)," is something people have heard on numerous occasions.
ends
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