The League of Extraordinary Actors

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In the aftermath of the gang rape in December, he donned a Shakespearean avatar and waxed eloquent- ‘There is a tide in the affairs of men. Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune.’ Considering the backdrop was a brutal rape and murder, the quote from Julius Caesar was singularly misplaced in the context. What could be fortuitous in such a deplorable situation, after all?

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If Kumar wanted to communicate it takes the inhuman rape and murder of an innocent to change the virulent anti women ethos of a city, then surely he could have found a more appropriate quote from literature to express himself. But maybe it was just a Freudian slip. He was perhaps talking about his good fortune to have escaped unscathed after the bungling by his men. By now the country is well aware how callously the policemen on duty behaved when they came across the victim and her friend lying bleeding and naked on the street after they were thrown out of the moving bus by the rapists. Precious time was lost as they quibbled between themselves about registering the case and taking the victims to the hospital.

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Last week his men demonstrated once again that the police force in Delhi can put to shame the most brutal criminals the country has produced, especially when it comes to crimes against women. A policeman of the stature of an ACP slapped a young woman protester. Not once but three times and stopped only when he literally tasted blood.

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An ACP is not a semi literate constable. At the very least he must have a college degree. But when has education prevented men in our country from committing crimes against women? I am sure if this man had no shame in publicly slapping a young girl, he must also be tormenting the women in his family. They ought to be given security. But maybe not, because the men guarding them would be culled from the same police force that delights in unleashing batons and water cannons on women who dare to protest.

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This time, after the rape and battery of a five- year- old, Kumar dumped Shakespeare for a lame Bollywood type of dialogue. He mentioned he will resign a thousand times if that would prevent rapes. He thinks he is being clever and cute. That if he made statements like these, the rest of us would sagely agree with him and run to hug him.

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Unfortunately, even the most naive among us know this is not about logic. We don’t want him out because we believe the rapists and molesters would tell themselves now that Kumar has resigned, let’s turn into saints. Why would they? The perverts in this country are well aware the men in uniform are like their mirror images. That it is not uncommon for them to molest women in their custody.

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But yes, if Kumar is asked to be accountable for the shameful behavior of his men towards rape victims and women protesters, the message may go home that it is the collective responsibility of the entire force not just to prevent these crimes but also to respond with sensitivity whenever such a crime is committed.

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The problem is who is going to bell the cat. Kumar is not the only high profile actor we have in Delhi. So are all the politicians in power. From Pranab Mukherjee to Manmohan Singh. From Sonia Gandhi to her philosopher son. From the Home Secretary to the Congress Spokesperson. All of them make these moving statements every time a new unimaginably horrific crime surfaces and then get back to doing what they are doing. Which from whatever evidence the rest of the country has, seems to be nothing. There is no governance to speak of. The capital of India where all of them live has turned out to be a torture chamber for little children.

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If Kumar has plans to go back to Shakespeare, he need not look beyond Macbeth. It is bloody enough to serve his purpose.

And I think Manmohan Singh would be outstanding as King Lear.

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