Justice for Karuna

These murders highlight how despite stalking cases having more than doubled in Delhi between 2014-2015, perilously little has changed. Stalking can be fatal — but the police’s response appears to be a chatty, informal “compromise”, rather than swiftly arresting and tracking stalkers. Kiren Rijiju, minister of state for home affairs, has termed Karuna’s murder “very sad”, and has sought a report — but much more needs to be done. Cops found adopting village-elder roles, rather than acting as serious functionaries of the state who must implement the rule of law, must be made accountable. Alongside, the deep-rooted misogynistic mentality which sees stalking as macho-man enthusiasm — infamously celebrated by Bollywood, which often echoes with the perversity that a woman’s “no” means “yes” — must be uprooted. Educationists must emphasise stalking is for losers — who will land in jail. Authorities must arrest and track stalkers. And families must be made aware there can be no “compromise” with a stalker, who can slip into the derangement of a “no compromise” zone swiftly. Finally, government at all levels must answer — who is responsible for Karuna’s murder? And what can be done to ensure that “smart cities” of the future do not become stalking centres, where citizens get murdered while the authorities look away?