Last year during riots in London and other cities of England, many young boys committed crimes. Prime Minister David Cameron said the young boys will face full force of the law. If you are old enough to commit a crime you are old enough to face the law.
On 9/2/2012 a student murdered his Science and Hindi teacher Uma Maheshwari, St. Mary’s Ango-Indian Higher Secondary School, Armenian Street, Madras. He was angry with the teacher for informing his parents about his behaviour and lack of study by her remarks on his school diary.
Murder is a crime. In India nobody has been hanged for murder for many years. Death penalty is given in rarest of rare cases. Even when the president rejects a mercy petition it is challenged in a court and the case drags on. The message goes out that you will not be hanged if you murder.
It is strange that some people talk of the student as a victim. Murderers are not victims. Someone said he was victim of a dysfunctional family. What that means is spoilt brats of rich families can do whatever they want, even murder, and they will have sympathy.
One report said the boy was inspired by Agneepath, starring Hritik Roshan and Sanjay Dutt. The film is not about a student killing his teacher. Many films glorify crime and criminals. In India many people raise a hue and cry about scenes containing sex and nudity but are quiet about scenes with violence. Watching a film is not a justification for murder or any crime.
The boy being a minor may not have even life imprisonment which in reality means 14 years. Minors who commit adult crimes like murder should face punishment meant for adults.