Candles in the light of the day

To express solidarity with protests against the recent gang-rape and death of a paramedic student in Delhi, the Madhya Pradesh government decided to organise a candlelight march in honour of women on January 18. The state Cabinet held informal discussions and decided that government officials and workers of all ranks, students and teachers, social workers and anyone else who wanted to join, will participate in the march, which will be organised at all district headquarters. The trouble is that schools and district headquarters are open only during the day. Strangely, a Cabinet rank minister also clarified to a gathering of curious journalists that this march will be organised in the day. To which a state official quipped, “The state is on top when it comes to atrocities and rapes, according to the National Crime Bureau record. Now, after this day candlelight march, it will become an established fact that the government can’t see what is happening to women in the state even in broad daylight. Let’s hope the day candlelight march will shed some light on it.”