Rest In Peace, Priyanka.

My heart shattered to a million pieces when I got to know about the latest trending tragedy about Priyanka Reddy. No, I didn't know her and yes she is a stranger to me but we had one thing in common: gender. The sisterhood is making me write this piece, I actually owe one to our small circle who are always blamed for being victimized till this day. 

Have you ever thought how scary it is to be a female? To be laid all kinds of blames and labels even though you are the victim and what's great is they don't even question what provoked your actions, its always your fault. Oh and of course, your family's fault.

Priyanka Reddy was a 26 year old vet who parked her scooter at a lorry area along the toll plaza just so she could make it to her appointment to meet her dermatologist and can you see where this led her to?

Yes, this led her to being raped, murdered and then burned. The murderers strangled her with her dupatta (shawl), meaning she was properly clothed, nothing too "instigating". The next blame was: "she should't have been out too late".

                          

Let me break this part down for you:
1. It was an innocent doctor's appointment, it might have been for something serious, we don't even know it.
2. She could only go after work, maybe she couldn't take a day off for the  appointment or maybe it was a long term procedure and she couldn't be taking off every single time.
3. She might have been too tired to ride her scooter all the way to the clinic,  that place sounded far, hence she took a cab instead.
4. She should have called 100 (emergency number in India). Do you think  they would have entertained if she had called and said my scooter tire got punctured and there are vultures around me even before something hapened?
5. It was 9.22 pm for God's sake!

But its okay, go on and blame the victim, shame the family and when girls finally stay indoors past 8 pm, the crimes will start to take place indoors. I won't be surprised if these vultures break into a family home, kill or threaten everyone and then rape the girls right in front of the family. This has happened, let's not forget that.

My question is very simple; when? When is the society going to blame the sick criminals instead? When is the society going to be a balm for the victims? When is the law going to punish the criminals accordingly? (Not to forget that the juveniles from Nirbaya's case got released from jail and became tailors for ladies!) When is the world going to be a sanctuary for ladies? When will ladies be allowed to roam the streets at night fearlessly? When will the ladies be able to take up hobbies or classes in the evening after work?

                      

This is just getting worse by each passing day, it is almost 2020 and yet the mentally of some are twisted so badly. My heart weeps on this day for my fellow sister from another part of the world. We have lost so many of them already and it is not getting any better. What's worse is, these are happening in the same country that worships and hails Goddesses but fails gloriously to respect its own women.

I'm tremendously sorry for you, Priyanka. Those sick vultures will get just what they deserve, if not by law then by karma at least. My heart goes out to you and I can't even imagine what you have gone through but you are in a better place now. If there's ever a next life, just hope that you are not born as a human or as a woman at least. May your soul rest in peace eternally.