We’ve now heard enough of Himachal’s daughter and Bengal’s child in the highly politicised and televised battle over what was meant to be concern over the mysterious death of Bihar’s son. But stepping out of this echo-chamber, let’s rewind to an incident from two years ago, when several young girls were abused in a shelter-home. In another report, school-going girls were attacked when they protested lewd behaviour from some boys. And about the same timeline, a girl was raped, her father allegedly killed and her car met with a mysterious accident that killed her relative.

They, too, are India’s daughters. But few (if any) campaign relentlessly for them, as they do now for a high-profile actress. It really should not matter which State they come from, their caste or name — a reason why no names or States are mentioned in this article on the incidents.

A country’s conscience should outrage anyway against the plight of India’s children, exposed to abuse and with practically no security or resources to protect themselves. And these are just the reported incidents. Countless children, girls and boys, live in daunting conditions. Runaway kids at railway stations, traffic signals, in urban slums, in orphanages, etc., who need attention, education, protection. A secure country that can help them develop into contributing young adults.

This is not to say that an affluent person should not get justice, if wronged. But there needs to be a more equitable yardstick to measure these wrongdoings. Otherwise it becomes a case of first among equals or unequals, actually. Some citizens are the chosen ones, the child who is loved more. And the rest can be forgotten, though their condition may be far worse.

For a private citizen, it’s their choice who they want to campaign for — an actor or a child in a shelter-home. But from the country’s administration, the action should be even-handed, whether or not you have a silver-spoon. Either way, they are India’s children.

PT Jyothi Datta Deputy Editor

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