Little hill girl, all of eight
Innocent victim of brutal hate
Repeatedly drugged, gang-raped, murdered, cruel fate
Depraved crime, justice should not be late
Hindu-Muslim, the child didn’t know
Grazing horses in the mountain meadow
Fell upon her the evil shadow
Of lives unimaginably low
A house of God is where it took place
Humanity lost its face
Crime so heinous, acts so base
Capital punishment, cries out this case
Nirbhaya redux? It’s worse than that
This crime on the child was a pre-meditated act
To terrorise, drive out the ‘other’, suggests the fact
The perpetrators and the devil made a pact
Morchas, threats, blocking the law’s course
Defending the accused, shouting hoarse
Casting aside all civil mores
Shame washing up the shores
Keep away the politics and truly lead
To the country’s anguish, please pay heed
Statesmanship, action now we need
Swift justice for this unspeakable deed
— Anand Kalyanaraman
Published on April 13, 2018