Sati Glorifiers Acquitted: Murderers in Disguise?
Shocking acquittal of the men accused of glorifying the 1987 Sati case of Roop Kanwar sparks outrage. The controversial ruling raises disturbing questions about justice, with activists calling it a failure to hold murderers accountable for a horrific crime.
I read the news today, oh boy! The sort that makes one’s blood boil, truly. Eight men accused of glorifying sati—the grotesque practice of burning widows alive on their husband’s funeral pyres—have been acquitted. Yes, you heard me right, acquitted! This farce of justice has unfolded a staggering 37 years after 18-year-old Roop Kanwar was incinerated in a spectacle that would turn your stomach. Yet here we are in 2024, and the courts have all but shrugged their shoulders and said, ‘No evidence, nothing to see here.’
Now, let’s pause for a moment to reflect. In 1987, the whole world was horrified by this gruesome act, with widespread outrage forcing the Indian government to ban not only the act itself but its glorification. But what’s the point of laws if we’re just going to file them under ‘Too Difficult’ and leave them to gather dust, eh? I suppose next they’ll be rolling out the red carpet for the perpetrators of the Salem witch trials while they’re at it.
The irony is thicker than a stodgy English pudding. Roop Kanwar, burned alive, was supposedly doing so voluntarily. Really? A teenage widow, who had been married for only seven months, suddenly felt a swell of devotion strong enough to step into flames while men with swords circled around her? Oh, do pull the other one! It’s got bells on. Testimonies at the time clearly described her being drugged, dragged, and forced onto the pyre, not to mention the chilling detail of her frothing at the mouth. Yet, here we are, with courts brushing it all under the rug as if she just fancied a bit of a BBQ.
And what of the eight fine gentlemen accused of glorifying this barbarism? Well, it seems they’re off to the pub now, having been let off the hook with a ‘lack of evidence’. Lack of evidence? Really? The fact that 200,000 people showed up to a ceremony honouring this ghastly event, or that framed photos and posters of Roop were flogged like concert merch, apparently doesn’t count. If I didn’t know better, I’d say the courts might as well have stamped a seal of approval on this glorification nonsense.
Even Kanwar’s own parents seemed to cave in, conveniently changing their stance to say it was all voluntary after initially claiming foul play. But one has to wonder how much pressure they were under from the bigwigs pulling the strings. Perhaps they were given a gentle nudge to fall in line by the same politicians who were eyeing the Rajput community’s vote bank like a hungry dog drooling over a Sunday roast.
And now, with these acquittals, we’re practically begging for a repeat performance. “Oh, let’s have another crack at the glorious past! Who cares if it was a woman burned alive against her will? It’s all just part of our rich cultural tradition, isn’t it?” Right, and the British Empire was just an extended holiday to the tropics, wasn’t it?
To add insult to injury, there are still some who visit Roop Kanwar’s death site, lighting lamps and paying their respects as though she were some kind of goddess. Deified! For what? Being murdered? It’s the most twisted form of martyrdom I’ve ever heard of, and now, thanks to this latest legal travesty, we’re on the verge of turning it into some sort of pilgrimage hotspot. Sati tourism—imagine that! Get your postcards and keychains from the gift shop, folks, and don’t forget to toss a coin to your local Rajput warrior!
This, my dear readers, is where we are in 2024—hurtling backwards in time, it seems. So much for progress. If this isn’t a slap in the face of justice, I don’t know what is. What next? Are we going to start building temples for serial killers because, well, it’s part of someone’s ‘tradition’? What’s tradition without a little homicide on the side, right? Absolute codswallop!
I shudder to think what message this sends to young women in India today. That their lives, their autonomy, are worth less than a crusty old tradition that should have been tossed out with the British? Let’s not kid ourselves—this isn’t about honour, it’s about control. Control of women, control of votes, control of narratives. And we expect justice for Abhaya in the R G Kar incident?
So, here’s my humble suggestion: perhaps it’s time we stopped glorifying the glorifiers and started demanding some actual accountability. Otherwise, we’ll be having this same bloody conversation in another 37 years. And quite frankly, I’ve had enough of it.
Cover Picture and News sources BBC.
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