Four Arrested In Bangalore Park Gang-Rape Case: What Gives Men The Audacity To Commit Sexual Crimes?

A young woman who was sitting in a park in Bangalore with her male friend was forcibly abducted and gang-raped by four men. The Koramangala police, where the case has been reported, have arrested the four men. The accused are identified as Satish, Vijay, Sridhar, and Kiran.

On the night of March 25, the woman was sitting on a bench at the National Games Village Park with her male friend. Four men came in, threatened her male friend, and dragged her to the car. The survivor claimed that all four men had raped her in the moving car as they drove to Domlur, Indiranagar, Anekal, and Nice Road throughout the night.

The accused had then dropped off the survivor near her home during the early hours of March 26. The survivor was taken to the hospital at 4 a.m. and later filed a police complaint, based on which the four accused were identified and arrested.

Bangalore Park Gangrape Case

Now, as always, our patriarchal society will debate why the woman stepped out of her house at night. Why was she in the company of a male friend? What were they doing at that time? What was the woman wearing? Because our society finds it more comfortable to blame the victim than hold perpetrators accountable.

Why shouldn’t a woman step out at night to meet a male friend? Is there any law that prohibits women from doing so? Does a woman meeting a male friend at late hours invite random men to sexually assault her?

Just because a woman is hanging out with a male friend doesn’t mean that she is "asking for it" or "she must be taught a lesson." It has been 10 years since the ghastly Nirbhaya case shook the entire nation. The countrywide uproar drew attention to the prevalence of crimes against women. But has the scenario changed since? Are women safer now? NO! The only change is that more women are now raising their voices against the sexual crimes that happen to them. But the crimes don’t seem to stop, and we are still fighting for women’s safety.

In 2022, the National Commission for Women recorded nearly 31,000 complaints of crimes against women. This is the highest number of complaints received since 2014. Why hasn’t the scenario changed? Why are women still viewed as objects of sexual gratification?

In the Nirbhaya case, the accused wanted to teach the girl a lesson because she was out with a male friend at late hours. Although the motive of the accused in this case is still unknown, don’t the two cases sound similar? So, does this mean even a decade later, society hasn’t learned anything from the Nirbhaya case?

The accused in this case have had the audacity to drop this girl off at home after committing such a heinous crime. What gives them so much male entitlement? Why aren’t they afraid of the law? Since the general opinion that a woman’s honour lies in her chastity is still largely prevalent in society, they must have assumed that the woman would not lodge a complaint.

Unfortunately, the country just witnessed one of the accused in the Bilkis Bano case finding a place on stage among BJP MLAs. Incidents like this not only trigger the survivors' trauma but also create the wrong impression that perpetrators of horrific crimes will still be able to walk free. This gives men the audacity to indulge in gender-based violence.

As long as we have criminals receiving VIP treatment and walking free in the country while the survivors are shunned into darkness throughout their lives, crimes against women cannot be curbed. If criminals can somehow obtain a get-away card, what will instil fear in perpetrators?

Suggested Reading: Bengaluru: Woman Dragged From Park, Gang-Raped In Moving Car