In the Colony of Nirbhaya Convicts, An Effort to Sensitise Boys

Video Editor: Abhishek Sharma

It’s been close to six years since the brutal gang rape of Nirbhaya shook not only the nation, but also South Delhi’s Ravidas Camp – home to four of the six convicts. The colony, though just as critical of the men involved, had since been subjected to stigma and was always looked at with a degree of suspicion.

But Bihari Lal, Ravidas Camp’s Pradhan and an auto driver, wouldn’t just sit quiet. Although “only a few fish in the entire tank were rotten,” he realised that counseling young boys held the key to making them more sensitive towards girls. So, he started conducting monthly classes for those between the age of 16 to 20.

But ask Bihari Lal if he started these classes because he felt a collective burden, and he gives a clear ‘no’. He maintains that boys in the colony were not influenced by the convicts to be violent towards women, and that other children in the colony had never been involved in anything wrong.

What do you talk to the kids about?

“I talk to kids about the importance of education. For those working, my advice is to always to remain focused on the job. Additionally, we also teach them to respect women and not look at them with other intentions. It’s okay to be friends with girls, but there should be a limit. Beyond it, things should progress under the watch of parents.”

While Bihari Lal claims his classes are having a ‘positive impact,’ some of the teenagers who went for a few classes say they don’t find him engaging enough. Sixteen-year-old Lakshman (name changed) has attended these classes only twice. He says, “Attending them is like a waste of time. We don’t like how he talks and don’t even understand him completely.”

Lakshman’s friend Ajay (name changed) wanted to go for these classes, but didn’t know their timings. “Most classes were being held for girls and young children. I didn’t know that they were being held.”

It’s not just Ajay, but even residents of the colony haven’t heard about these classes. Although Lakshman claimed he had been for a couple of them, his 19-year-old sister didn’t have any clue about them.

If we sensitise young boys from childhood, only then will they learn to behave with girls properly. But I haven’t heard of any such classes here. 

Chandni (name changed)

Although young boys from Ravidas Camp say they are not interested in these classes, it is probably the constant questioning of their colony’s character and the stigma attached to it, that has by default led them to adopt a sensitive attitude towards girls.

Lakshman says him and his friends are grown ups, who understand what the convicts did was wrong. Ajay, who didn’t attend any of these classes, says that “girls should not be teased and should be considered equals.”

Referring to the 2012 gang rape, Paras, who attended classes, says “It’s okay to be friends with girls, but some guys take it it to the extremes. That’s not a good thing.”