Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Aug 15: Delivering his Independence Day address after hoisting the national tricolour at the Red Fort on Thursday, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi dealt at length with the crimes against women in the context of the horrific rape and murder of the 31-year old trainee postgraduate doctor in Kolkata hospital and underlined that the perpetrators needed to be punished without any delay.
Mr Modi said, “I would like to express my pain once again, from the Red Fort today. As a society, we will have to think seriously about the atrocities against women that are happening – there is outrage against this in the country.”
Security was tightened across India with over 10,000 cops, facial recognition cameras and snipers deployed in Delhi and security camps set up in 13 villages in Chhattisgarh’s Maoist-hit Bastar region where the Tricolour will be hoisted for the first time to celebrate the Independence Day.
Snipers, elite SWAT commandos, kite catchers and sharpshooters were positioned at strategic locations for the security of the Prime Minister and other VVIP guests at Red Fort in New Delhi. Additionally, 700 AI-based facial recognition CCTV cameras have been installed in central and New Delhi. These cameras have high-resolution pan-tilt-zoom features, allowing identification of a person from a distance, the officials said.
Urging authorities concerned investigating the Kolkata rape and murder case to take the matter seriously, Mr Modi said, “I can feel this outrage. The country, society, and state governments will have to take this seriously. Speedy investigation of crimes against women, those executing these monstrous deeds be awarded strict punishment at the earliest – this is important to instill confidence in society.”
Vouching for exemplary punishments for rapists, he said, “I would also like to say that when rapes and incidents of atrocities on women occur, it is widely discussed. But when a person of such monstrous tendency is punished, it is not seen in news, but restricted to a corner. It is the need of the hour that extensive discussion on those receiving punishment be held so that those committing this sin understand that this leads to hanging. I think it is very important to instill this fear.”
His 98-minute address on Thursday also become the longest delivered by a Prime Minister from the ramparts of the Red Fort so far. Mr Modi’s Independence Day speeches average 82 minutes – longer than any other prime minister in India’s history.
Mr Modi laid out his vision for a developed India by 2047. He called for unwavering commitment to working at an accelerated pace to realise the dream of a “Viksit Bharat” (Developed India), urging all citizens to join him in a “24×7” commitment to this national cause.
“This is India’s golden era,” PM Modi said. “2047 is awaiting our Viksit Bharat. Defeating the obstacles and challenges, this commitment to go ahead with a new resolution…I had said earlier too that in my third term, the country would become the third-largest economy, and I would work at three times the speed so that the dreams of the country are realized at the earliest.”
The Prime Minister presented a roadmap for the future, urging every Indian to take part in the journey towards a developed nation. “I’m not afraid of challenges because I live for my country, countrymen. So let’s join in 24×7 for 2047 commitment to fulfil the dreams of our ancestors,” he said.
The Prime Minister said the transformative reforms undertaken by his “People waited for reforms; we got an opportunity and we implemented major reforms. Our commitment to reform is not restricted to editorials; our reforms are not for small praise, it is for making the country strong,” he added.
Mr Modi said these reforms have opened up new avenues for the younger generation, who are now eager to take giant leaps towards progress. “The youth now does not want to walk slowly; they want to jump to achieve new things, and they want to take giant leaps. This is a golden era for India,” he said.
Mr Modi also recalled the sufferings of the people impacted by India’s partition and reiterated the commitment to always protecting the bonds of unity and brotherhood in the nation on August 14. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also paid tributes to all those who suffered during India’s partition in 1947, saying a nation that remembers its history can build its future and emerge as a powerful country.