The verdict in the Keenan-Reagan case, which saw four accused sentenced to life imprisonment for murder, does certainly spell hope in the judiciary and the police in the country; it also flies the flag high for the fight against sexual harassment.
In October 2011, Keenan Santos and Reuben Fernandes were out with some friends at a restaurant in Amboli, Mumbai. Two girls were harassed by a group of four men. The two boys objected to the harassment and were later beaten and repeatedly stabbed by a group of 17 people. Keenan died on the spot, Reuben a week later in hospital. The case dragged on for almost five years with defence lawyers not turning up, the case being transferred to different courts and the witnesses threatened and harangued. The police and the prosecution fought on steadily. They did their job.
But the people failed the two heroes. While they lay there bleeding on the street, Keenan’s girlfriend cried out for help. There were more than 50 people around on the street but no one helped, neither when the girls were being harassed, nor when the two boys lay there bleeding. The public needs to realise that their part in the process of justice starts before a crime has even been committed.
