Leave them alone, for God’s sake!

Seems the guardians of law are very strict when it comes to petty crimes, especially when the culprits are lower-rung policemen. In an incident that took place last week, three police constables attached to a city police station lost their jobs. The reason? They were caught accepting bribes from organizers of flesh trade. Press releases were promptly sent to all media offices, who in turn, published the item with due importance.

It is a serious matter though, accepting bribe to protect petty illegal activities like flesh trade, in a country where political leaders and high-ranking officials sell the whole country and its people to make big, fat, fast bucks.

The country in recent times witnessed scams of huge proportions, involving Union ministers, media barons, business tycoons and defense officials. A lot of hue and cry have been made, but nothing substantial happened other than some arrest drama by premier investigative agencies in the country.

India tops in the list of high-level corruption and white collar crimes. However, never in the history, the culprits have been given adequate punishments. Most of them walked away scot-free and continued their anti-national and criminal activities uninterrupted. It sounds funny when the young national secretary of the grand old party of India condemns and vows to fight against the growing level of corruption in the country.

Hyderabad is no way far behind in corruption and crime. We have some of the biggest white caller criminals in the world, of whom some enjoy royal life in the outside world, the others lead a five-star life inside the prison walls and posh hospital rooms. All public offices are dens of the corrupt. I myself witnessed once how a senior official in the education department bargained and accepted money from a private school manager sitting on his official chair!

But the sex workers in city and their patrons and customers often get caught by the police and they are forced to cough up money to get loose from the hook. Some constables, who know hunger and poverty, tend to accept paltry amounts and allow the business to continue unharmed, knowing well that the oldest profession in the world is going to stay put here forever.

In a city where corporators run brothels and a young political leader and a media head end up in clash over a sexy ‘entertainer’, it is the harlots and their not-so posh customers who are always at the receiving end.

While huge sex and drug rackets operate in the city with the active support of bigwigs and silent blessings of the rulers, the hapless sex workers who are left with no option to make their both ends meet are ridiculed and looked down upon with contempt. I, for sure, am a staunch supporter of these innocent victims of the system. While heads of states in the fag end of their lives are seen deriving carnal pleasures with a group of young girls in official residents, why can’t you leave alone those who have no other place other than the street to solicit their customers? Leave them alone. Make sure that they are given medical assistance and awareness so that STDs are kept at arm’s length!