Dr. Mehak Jonjua
Kolkata—a city celebrated for its intellectual vibrancy and cultural heritage—was jolted last week by a horrific incident that unfolded not in a dark alleyway, but within the confines of South Calcutta Law College. This is not just any institution; it is one tasked with shaping future custodians of justice. Shockingly, the accused in this brutal gang rape case are not hardened criminals from the underworld but young students—some still in their teens—and a recent graduate. The event has forced the nation to look inward and ask: What is going so wrong in the moral and emotional fabric of our youth?
In 2024 alone, India recorded nearly 35,000 cases of rape—which translates to one incident every 15 minutes. More disturbingly, over 85% of the accused were known to the survivors, suggesting a deep erosion of trust in homes, schools, and workplaces. With a conviction rate hovering around 26%, the legal system appears slow, ineffective, and unable to serve as a real deterrent. What’s even more unsettling is that a significant number of the accused are under the age of 30—many are students or recent graduates who grew up within our communities and went through the same education system. These are not monsters from the margins, but young people from our own neighborhoods.
What does it say about our culture when such individuals, exposed to education and modernity, still carry such dangerous emotional voids? If nearly 100 women face sexual violence each day, and the justice system fails three out of four times, then the real crisis is not just legal—it’s cultural, psychological, and deeply moral.
Today’s generation is raised amidst a digital storm—an environment where social media platforms glorify virality, domination, and performative masculinity. In this hyper-sexualized, consequence-free zone, empathy becomes weakness and consent becomes negotiable. The line between fantasy and violence is blurred. Without guidance, many young people become emotionally numb, morally disengaged, and desensitized to human suffering.
One recurring element in many of these crimes is that they happen in groups. Psychologists refer to this as “diffusion of responsibility”—a cognitive phenomenon where individuals feel less personally accountable when others are equally involved. In such group settings, violence becomes easier, and the shame is shared and diluted. Underlying this behavior is a culture of toxic masculinity, which wrongly equates strength with aggression and emotional repression with maturity. Many young men, lacking emotional outlets and support systems, internalize misguided ideas of dominance and sexual conquest as signs of success.
Educational institutions are meant to be sanctuaries of learning, critical thinking, and ethical growth. Sadly, many campuses have been reduced to exam factories, where the focus is solely on grades and degrees. Most colleges lack trained counselors, mental health support, or even adequate complaint mechanisms. Faculty often see their roles as limited to academic delivery, with little engagement in students’ moral development. Even law colleges—ironically—fall short of imparting lessons in justice, empathy, and civic responsibility.
The young often mirror what they see. When security personnel, meant to protect, are accused of misconduct, what message does it send? When adults in their environment fail to set examples, toxic behavior becomes normalized. What festers is a generation growing up with bottled-up anger, confused masculinity, and emotional fragility masked as entitlement. In the absence of role models, their frustrations spill into harmful actions.
To break this cycle, prevention must replace punishment as our societal priority. This begins with comprehensive sex education that goes beyond anatomy to teach consent, emotional intelligence, and compassion. Schools must offer confidential, stigma-free mental health counseling and encourage peer-led accountability frameworks. Educational institutions must recognize that character-building is as important as curriculum.
Young people need more than textbooks. They need mentors—parents, teachers, and community leaders who lead with integrity and empathy. They need environments that validate vulnerability and reward ethical behavior. Most importantly, they need to see that power and responsibility go hand-in-hand.
The survivor in the South Calcutta Law College case has shown extraordinary bravery, cooperating with investigators and reliving her trauma in pursuit of justice. But her courage raises another haunting question: Will her suffering lead to real change? Or will it, like countless others, become another case buried in dusty court files?
This incident is not an isolated tragedy—it is a symptom of a deeper societal collapse. If we continue to ignore the emotional, moral, and mental health needs of our youth, then more such stories will follow. The time to intervene is now—not after another girl’s life is shattered. If education cannot prevent such horrors, then it is failing not just the victim—but an entire generation.
