Karnataka Congress leader Zameer Ahmed claimed that India recorded the highest number of rape cases because women don’t keep ‘purdah’ or veil their face
File image of women in India protesting against rape cases. AFP
Rape is a serious problem in India. Look at the statistic and they tell us the same story. In 2020, 77 rape cases were reported across India on an average every day. That’s 28,046 such incidents during the year.
Yet we continue to have politicians and leaders providing specious and horrible explanations for such crimes. In the past, short skits, Western culture have been blamed for the rise in crimes against women.
Here’s a look at some of the most insensitive reasons provided for the high incidents of rapes in the country.
‘Rapes because women don’t wear hijab’
On Sunday, Congress MLA from Karnataka waded into the ongoing hijab row in the state and made a howler of a statement.
MLA Zameer Ahmed, who represents the Chamrajpet constituency in Bengaluru, said: “Hijab means ‘parda’ (veil) in Islam. It is for hiding the beauty of girls when they come of age. Today you can see that the rape rate is the highest in our country. What do you think is the reason for this? The reason is that several women don’t wear hijab.”
Going further with his horrific and distasteful logic, the Congress MLA, speaking to news agency ANI, said, “But, wearing hijab is not compulsory, only those who want to protect themselves and those who don’t want to show their beauty to everyone wear it. This has been in practice for years.”
Ahmed’s statement comes amid the ongoing row over hijab on the high school and college campuses in certain parts of Karnataka. The controversy started in January when six girls in hijabs were denied entry into Pre-University College in Udupi.
Obscene ads
In 2014, the then Maharashtra home minister RR Patil had attributed rape cases to obscene images used in advertisements. He was quoted as saying, “Even if we provide one policeman per house we can’t stop crimes against women… The rise in atrocities against women is due to obscene images used in advertisements.”
Later on, he denied making the statement and said he was misquoted.
Short skirts
If ‘obscene ads’ could be blamed for rape cases in the country, then it’s no surprise that girls wearing short skirts could be also be held liable for such incidents. In 2013, BJP MLA in Rajasthan Banwari Lal Singhal had written a letter to the state chief secretary C K Mathew, demanding that skirts should be replaced by trousers or salwar-kameez. “The intention of this demand is to keep girl students away from men’s lustful gazes and for their comfort in hot and cold weather conditions,” Singhal had told PTI.
A BJP MLA in Rajasthan had demanded a ban on skirts as uniform in schools to keep girls away from “men’s lustful gazes”. AFP
Foreign or Western culture
And if we believe our politicians then rape is wholly a product of western influence. As BJP’s Babulal Gaur had once said that “foreign culture” is not good for India. “Women in foreign countries wear jeans and T-shirts, dance with other men and even drink liquor, but that is their culture. It’s good for them, but not for India, where only our traditions and culture are OK.”
Sex education
Mumbai’s former police commissioner Dr Satyapal Singh had shocked all when he blamed sex education for rapes in the city. His statement was made in light of the gang rapes at Shakti Mills, which incensed one and all.
He had said, “Countries with sex education in their curriculum only have an increased number of crimes against women.”
He had also in the past blamed our value-less education system. “An uneducated man doesn’t commit suicide: this means that education is causing problems. We are imparting such lessons that people have started committing suicide. A majority of those who commit suicide are English-educated learned people,” said the former top cop.
Rapes because of free interaction between men and women
In 2012, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that rape cases in India were on the rise because men and women had the opportunity to interact with each other more freely.
“Earlier, if men and women would hold hands, they would get caught by parents and reprimanded, but now everything is so open. It’s like an open market with open options,” Mamata Banerjee said.
Going out at night
Another reason for rapes in India, according to former Andhra Pradesh Congress chief Botsa Satyanarayana was that women ventured out at night.
And how could they?
He had said against the gang-rape of a Delhi girl in 2012, “Just because India achieved freedom at midnight does not mean that women can venture out after dark. They should ensure that they do not board buses with few passengers.”
You heard it… Don’t want to be raped? Then stay at home and don’t go out at night.
Eating non-veg food
Stop chomping on chicken and meat if you want to resist raping a woman.
At least, that’s what Binay Bihari, minister for art, culture and youth affairs in Bihar said.
In July 2014, he made the absurd statement that non-vegetarian food contributed to hot temper while pure vegetarian food kept the body and mind pure and healthy.
With inputs from agencies
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