Double standards

Double standards are a way of life in India. There is one law for the people who can afford it and another for those who can’t. A well-connected or public personality can and very often does get away with murder. Take the well known case of a Bollywood actor, Salman Khan, who ran over four people sleeping on the sidewalk outside a bakery in Mumbai. He killed one and injured the other three and then ran away. When the police reached his home, he slinked out the back door. Talk about taking responsibility for one’s actions and being a role model to the hundreds of thousands of fans who adore him. There can be no excuse for his actions. Those defenceless people were not on the road. Was he drunk or perhaps talking on his cell phone? It is a tribute to the law enforcement agency of the nation, that a murderer walked away scot free. He is still making movies. He is still enjoying a high profile lifestyle. Who cares about the dead chap? He couldn’t have been important in any way.
The same goes for another actor who was convicted and sentenced on the charges of harbouring weapons which were later used in the Mumbai bomb blasts of 1993. Due to a widespread uproar, he actually spent a few years in prison but he was only convicted of the lesser charge and wasn’t prosecuted under the TADA (Terrorists and Disruptive Activities [Prevention] Act). While it was entirely possible he didn’t intend to aid or abet terrorism, which sane person would keep grenades and AK-56s in his house? He tried to destroy the guns but failed. The Bombay blasts were responsible for taking 257 lives with over a thousand injured. Now Sanjay Dutt is out and contesting for a seat in Parliament. This can only happen in India – as a convicted criminal, why should he be given the chance to be a part of the nation’s government. Considering his popularity rise after the ‘Munnabhai ‘movies which portrayed him as a large-hearted Robin Hood like character, it is entirely possible that the masses will mistake his screen persona for his real one and elect him from Lucknow.
The cases don’t end here. Many public cases of rashness and violence amounting to grave crimes have been swept under the carpet because the accused have enough influence to pay away the law. What might be even worse is that law abiding people get persecuted because they are soft targets. It is grossly unfair and we should stand up and fight against being imposed upon at any level instead of just letting things slide. The first step is the hardest.