I used to think that living in India, the brutality and human suffering that one learns to ignore in everyday life is simply due to the immense poverty of the vast majority of its citizens. As this country’s economy creates more wealth for its poorer citizens, we would also become a more caring, more moral society. But looking at the last fifteen years of economic growth accompanied by many brazen crimes, large-scale loot of the public exchequer, frauds, scams and murders such as yours and of countless others that have gone unpunished, I am sadly confident that this is not the case. The very nature of the Leviathan, its ability to reduce men and women blessed with intellect and imagination to their base nature, has ensured that murders such as yours and the other young ones of Nithari will continue to be media events that will horrify but will not lead to any meaningful change in how the Leviathan engages with its citizens.

After the barrage of chest-beating in all forms of media has been exhausted, I hope your family and residents of Nithari understand that there is no shortage of candles and good intentions in our country. Justice for a raped and murdered young woman is quite another matter.

The writer is SSP Haridwar