The Ravan Amongst Us

 

The age-old tradition of burning the Ravan effigy on Dussehra will be practised this year as well at the Ram Leela Maidan. However, the Shree Keshav Ram Leela Committee has announced that it will also burn a 30-foot Cockroach effigy alongside Ravan, Kumbhakaran, and Meghnad. So, here are some contextually relatable characters that actually deserve a worse fate than what was handed to them by the honourable courts.

 

• Bilkis Bano Rapists and Murderers (2002)

During the Gujarat riots in 2002, a then 19-year-old Bilkis Bano, her mother, and her cousin were gang-raped, and 14 members of her family were murdered while she was 5 months pregnant. The Special Court in Mumbai sentenced 11 men to life imprisonment in 2008. They were released early from Godhra Jail on 15^th August 2022 and were welcomed with garlands and sweets while being called Brahmins with good Sanskar by an MLA of the ruling party. However, the public outrage and the plea filed to challenge the release led to the Supreme Court overturning the ruling and ordering the 11 men to surrender within 15 days in January 2024. 

• Kandhamal Nun Rapists (2008)

A 28-year-old Catholic nun, Meena Barwa, was gang-raped and paraded half-naked by Hindu nationalists after communal riots broke out in Kandhamal with anti-Christian sentiments following the murder of a VHP leader. Even though 9 people were arrested, only 1 was convicted of rape, 2 were convicted of outraging a woman’s modesty, and 6 were acquitted due to lack of evidence in 2014.

• Asaram Bapu and his Son, Narayan (2013)

Asaram Bapu was accused of raping a 16-year-old at his Jodhpur ashram in 2013, and he was also tried for raping multiple women between 2001 and 2006 in Gujarat. Both courts found him guilty and sentenced him to life imprisonment in 2018. However, he has been out on bail and parole for over 450 days in total. His son, Narayan, was also accused in December 2013 and found guilty of raping the younger sister of one of his father’s accusers in April 2019. 

• Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh (1999-2002)

The head of the Dera Sacha Sauda sect was accused of raping 2 of his disciples between 1999 and 2002. He was sentenced to two consecutive 10-year prison terms in August 2017. The lawyer for one of the victims allegedly claimed that there might be up to 50 other women who were victims of his atrocities but were killed or too scared to speak up. However, he too has been granted multiple paroles totalling over 436 days.

• Badaun Rapists (2014)

In May 2014, two girls aged 14 and 15 were found hanging from a mango tree. The post-mortem report suggested that the girls were raped and suffocated to death before hanging. However, the CBI investigation ruled that there was NO RAPE, and instead claimed that one of the girls was having an affair with one of the 20-year-old accused.

• Ariyalur Rapists (2016)

A 17-year-old Dalit girl was brutally gang-raped, her genitalia were slashed open, and the fetus was pulled out by her boyfriend and his two friends and died on the spot. Her body was found a week after she was reported missing by her family on 29^th December 2016. The case remains pending a verdict because of repeated delays and legal challenges.

• Unnao Rapist (2017)

The former BJP member, Kuldeep Singh Sengar, was found guilty of the kidnapping and rape of a 17-year-old girl in December 2019 and was sentenced to life imprisonment and an additional 10-year jail term for the custodial death of the girl’s father in March 2020. However, the High Court granted him bail in December 2023; this ruling was stayed by the Supreme Court just 6 days later.

• Bishop Franco Mulakkal (2018)

In June 2018, a catholic nun accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal of raping her multiple times between 2014 and 2016. He was acquitted due to a lack of evidence. However, the 5 other nuns who supported the victim had to face administrative backlash and chose to leave the congregation altogether. Father Kuriakose, who gave a witness statement, was subjected to death threats and was found dead under mysterious circumstances in his room shortly after the accused was released on bail in 2018.

• Ankita Bhandari Murderers (2022)

Ankita Bhandari, a 19-year-old Receptionist at Vanantara Resort, went missing in September 2022. Her body was found 6 days later in a canal, and the resort owner, manager, and assistant manager were charged with her murder.  The resort owner, Pulkit Arya, happens to be the son of BJP MLA Vinod Arya. The chargesheet claimed that Pulkit had asked Ankita to provide “Special Services” for VIP clients and was murdered for refusing to do so. They were handed a verdict of life imprisonment in May 2025. The victim's family have accused BJP leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam of being the alleged VIP. Her family and the LOP have been protesting after the BJP leader was appointed as Governor of Sikkim on October 12^th, 2026.

• IIT-BHU Rapists (2023)

A 22-year-old IIT-BHU B.Tech student and her male friend were stopped by 3 men on a motorcycle. They gagged and stripped her before raping her and filming the entire act on 1^st November 2023. The 3 men then travelled to Madhya Pradesh for a state election campaign for the BJP. The cops had tracked the 3 men; however, they were unable to arrest them due to orders from higher-ups. During the state elections two months later, the police finally caught the accused, and they confessed to their crime. However, two were granted bail in July 2024, and the third was granted bail in November 2024.

 

For a country that worships women as goddesses, the leniency shown towards rapists and murderers is jarring. Instead, the active use of state mechanisms to commit atrocities against the citizens who exercise their democratic rights shows the real face of Ravan that exists within our country.