On July 19, The Special Court for Exclusive Trial of Cases under POCSO Act, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu sentenced 36 years old Victor James Raja to life imprisonment with a fine of Rs. 6.54 lakh in a case investigated by CBI about the sexual assault of minor children and sharing and exchanging of online Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). However, the reporting of this news by some left-leaning portals and journalists is like filing another story for the victimhood industry, undermining the crime with the lens of a socially respectable educational and farming background of the convict.
On March 7, 2023, a case was registered against Raja under the POCSO Act, 2012 and Information Technology Act, 2000, following the discovery of Child Sexual Abuse Materials (CSAMs) in INTERPOL’s Child Sexual Exploitation (ICSE) database. Raja was arrested on March 16, 2023.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) uncovered that Raja had been sexually exploiting children aged 5 to 18 for several years. His crimes included penetrative sexual assaults, recording the abuse, criminal intimidation, and forcing minors to engage in sexual activities with other children and himself. He also used the victims for pornographic purposes.
DESIGNATED COURT AT THANJAVUR SENTENCES ACCUSED VICTOR JAMES RAJA TO LIFE IMPRISONMENT WITH FINE OF Rs. 6.54 LAKH IN A CASE RELATED TO SEXUAL ASSAULT OF MINOR CHILDREN AND SHARING/EXCHANGE OF ONLINE CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE MATERIAL (CSAM) pic.twitter.com/V9jVFYjydH
— Central Bureau of Investigation (India) (@CBIHeadquarters) July 9, 2024
On May 13, 2023, the CBI filed a chargesheet against Raja in the Special Court for Exclusive Trial of Cases under POCSO Act in Thanjavur. The charges included sexual assault, aggravated penetrative sexual assault, using children for pornography, and abetment under the POCSO Act. Additional charges were filed under the Indian Penal Code for rape of children under 12 and criminal intimidation, as well as under the Information Technology Act for electronic distribution of materials depicting children in sexually explicit acts.
The trial proceeded expeditiously, with 34 witnesses examined and cross-examined. The Special Public Prosecutor for the POCSO Court in Thanjavur assisted in the proceedings.
This is one of the serious, unpardonable crimes and the decision by the courts is a welcoming gesture where the accused is severely punished as per the law. However, the left-leaning journalists started reporting the convict as a ‘Ph.D scholar’ and an ‘organic farmer’ sentenced to life imprisonment, certainly with a message undermining the crime with socially respectable educational credentials and farming.
While speaking to Organiser, a Ph.D scholar in Hyderabad, said ”The educational credentials of the criminal, such as holding a PhD, should not be used to obscure the gravity of the crime. Education is meant to foster good character, not to serve as a shield for sexual offenders. Suggesting otherwise insults both the integrity of PhD scholars and the importance of higher education. Similarly, calling him an ‘Organic Farmer’ also seems to be a deliberate attempt to subvert from the real crime. “
The social media is full of memes on ‘chota mota bomb’, ‘School Teacher’s son’, ‘highly educated, ‘alleged misconduct’ (referring to sexual exploitation), ‘controversial figure’ (convicted criminal), ‘complex individual’, ‘misunderstood actions’, ‘victim of circumstance’, ‘regrettable Incident’, ‘social contributions’, etc. This choice of words not only undermines the gravity of the crimes but also risks perpetuating a narrative that excuses or mitigates the actions of the perpetrators.
The normalisation of barbarism and terrorism, especially when influencers sugarcoat these poisons, poses a significant threat to society. While individuals may unknowingly engage in such behaviors, the deliberate actions of public figures and influencers are inexcusable.
