A Protest Against Atrocities on Women

Thousands of Girl students of the Dev Samaj College for Women raised protest to condemn the horrendous brutal gang rape of a young girl at Delhi. The girls demanded that a review of the judicial prosecution and effective policing to check women sexual harassment is to be done; rapists and eve teasers should not be spared. Sawti, student of the college said that “At all public places, school and colleges, the government should install big bill boards highlighting the quantum of punishments for the crime and harassment to women. There should be regular patrolling by policemen near the streets to women colleges, schools and at public places to check any kind of harassment to women. Amritpal said that in Indian society girls are not encouraged to raised their protest to any kind of eve teasing, due to fear and also because in most of the cases the girls are made themselves responsible for such harassment citing their dress code or behavior. Time has come when the society should realize that that the fault is with the patriarchal thoughts which want to command women bodies and their lives. Amritpreet said that the crime against women is rising as there is no fear of the policemen and there is absence of a fast judicial prosecution. In many cases the convicts are let off on bail and the social stigma along the injuries is left with the victim. In the Indian society, these days, the culprits think that they would either bribe the policemen or would exercise their power influence. Sukhmeet demanded that Fast Track Courts should be introduced to deal with the incidents of rape and harassment to the women. She said that it is not just Delhi where girls feel unsafe but even in small towns and cities they are unsafe too. Khushpreet appealed the parents to teach their sons to respect girls and women. Amandeep demanded to stop the indecent and invoking vulgar hindi and Punjabi songs and advertisements which projects women as alluring objects immediately. Dr. Madhu Prashar, principal of the college asked the students to be bold and report the matter of any eve teasing immediately to the college authorities. She expressed her deep anguish for the Delhi rape victim and demanded strict punishment for the guilty. The protest followed by a discussion was organized by Critique Ferozepur Chapter and Philosophical Society, a student’s discussion forum of the college.

Capital Punishment: Philosophy, Law and Justice

Department of Philosophy, Critique Ferozepur Chapter and Philosophical Society of the Dev Samaj College for Women, organized a Seminar on the theme “Capital Punishment: Philosophy, law and Justice” in the college campus. The seminar was chaired by veteran Lawyer and Chairman, Management Committee of Baba Farid Law College, Faridkot. In the seminar Students of the college Swati Gupta, Amandeep Kaur, Veerdavinder Kaur, Amandeep Kaur, Amritpreet Kaur, Ramanpreet Kaur and Prabjeet Kaur collectively presented their well researched papers and argued to abolish death penalty. In the first session Dr. Madhu Prashar, principal of the college and students extended a warm welcome to the chairman, Baba Farid Law College. Swati Gupta in the first session highlighting the concept of Capital Punishment said that death penalty in any case cannot be stated as a just punishment as taking away any life cannot be justified. She further added that crime is a social problem and there should be more rigorous work in exploring ways to check and stop crime. There should be other modes of punishment other than the death penalty. Criminals should not be spared but hanging should not be seen as the only solution. Amandeep argued that in India we respect Gandhiji and his famous philosophy of Ahimsa ‘An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind’ we cannot justify capital punishment. She said that capital punishment is a complex issue and even in the framework of punishment, we should go for reformatory punishments. The jails are even named as ‘Zila Sudhar Ghar’ by giving death penalty we take away all possibilities of reform. Veerdavinder and Amritpreet highlighting some cases published by the Amnesty International said that, Amnesty International has discovered that the sentence of capital punishment in many cases was discovered to be erroneous and in some cases even the convicts were executed. As it is an irrevocable punishment it should be stopped. Ramanpreet and Prabhjeet said that in the in the UN 110 nations voted in favour to abolish death penalty and there is a need that the issue of capital punishment must be debated world over as capital Punishment cannot be seen as the deterrent factor for the crimes. The country and its people have to work out more seriously in the welfare of its society as whole. Education is a field where a lot of work is to be done. Educational institutions have to take lead in inculcating the respect for human rights and human values in society. Even government has to play significant roles in dealing with the social and political issues in the country and work for prevention of crime. Chairperson of the seminar Inderjit Singh Sekhon supported the views of the speakers and said that women are more humane than men and they can change the society. They have to take lead and teach the world new lessons to stop crime. Dr. Prashar said that Law has its own complexities and it is difficult to comment on the ethics of capital punishment but it might have a deterrent effect. Dr. Ambuj Sharma of the Department of Philosophy moderated the seminar which was attended and actively participated by more than two hundred students of the campus. The students collectively appealed for the abolition of the death penalty.