Bant Singh-The man keeping the spirit of freedom fighters alive

by Kapil Jain

We all take pride in calling ourselves Indians. We think that we have a rich culture, indeed we have. We have a culture so rich, so heavy that our more than 2 billion shoulders can't carry it any more. The most disturbing fact is that we have divorced our idols that used to inspire us to further enrich our culture. In fact we have abandoned our culture, which used to be envied by most of the civil societies. What better proof can anybody produce to support this view than the painful story of a dalit, who is fighting against all odds to corner justice for not only himself, but for all those who are denied a voice. It is a shameful blot on the face of Indian history that even after 60 years of independence we can not ensure justice for all. Justice like other necessities is a luxury for the socially and economically backward sections. "His battle for justice has cost him both his arms and a leg, but Bant Singh still has a lot of fight left in him. In the trauma unit at the Postgraduate Institute of Medicine Hospital in Chandigarh, where doctors are struggling to save his remaining leg, the 40-year-old Dalit continues to sing his beloved folk songs" – says Frontline (28th January 2007).

Bant Singh's plight has nothing to do with his losing the limbs, but sadly aimed at seeing the rapists of his daughter (2 yrs old at the time of rape in 2002) behind the bars, who unfortunately belong to the so called upper class. Yes, the upper class, which treats law as its mistress and uses all its power to defame the integrity of Indian judicial system. The vital question is – till when, we, the Indians, are going to fight for our constitutional rights of equal treatment & justice? Is our judicial system fake? Or is it that we are letting it be fake by not opposing the anti-social beasts, who put the judicial system under jeopardy?

Well, we are definitely not deaf, but at the same time we do not want to listen. All that hits our eyes crumbles to the ground as we refuse to see. If crime was bad, ignorance is the worst. It happened with Bant Singh, and it is bound to happen with you or even me in future. Even if you think that raising a voice against the system was enough, think again. It is the collective mandate against injustice, and not a mere voice against it, that is the need of the hour.

A man is already on the mission to change the things for better and change them forever. The man is bigger than the name suggests him to be, but the cause is even bigger. The target is not the criminals, but is the social discrimination in our judicial system. He has raised his voice, and now even without his limbs, he is not in a mood to abate. Yes, Bant Singh is already on the odyssey to fight for justice. He is not at all a handicap, but riding high on his determination and will-power. It is time that we Indians transform his voice to a useful mandate and save our honour. Let us join hands and move a step forward to attain utopia.

Spread the word in whatever way possible. Let us prove that even if the bodies of Bhagat Singh & Bant Singh were perishable, the revolutionary spirit propagated by them is never……... Come on – Be the change………….