It is heartbreaking how our lawmakers don’t shy away from making regressive statements about the rape victims. A few days back while many are mourning the death of Hathras gangrape victim, a shameless statement by UP MLA Surendra Singh surfaced that left many angry.
As per the sources, BJP MLA Surendra Singh Ballia on Saturday said that rape cases can be “stopped” if parents teach their daughters to behave “decently”.
Now a BJP leader from Barabanki has made another loose statement that has courted controversy.
BJP’s Ranjeet Bahadur Srivastava, who has over 44 criminal cases against him, character assassinated the victim during a TV interview. He said the four upper-caste men, who are accused of brutally assaulting a 19-year-old Dalit girl are actually innocent. And it was the victim who was “awaara” (loose character).
He further claimed that the girl was ‘having an affair with the accused’ and had called him to the millet field on September 14.
“The victim must have called the boy to the field because they were having an affair. This news is already out on social media and news channels. She must have got caught after that,” Srivastava said.
What he added further would leave you disgusted and heartbroken. He said “such women are found dead in a few specific spots”.
“Such girls are found dead in only some places. They will be found dead in sugarcane, corn and millet fields or in bushes, gutters or forests. Why are they never found dead in paddy or wheat fields?” he asked.
The leader was implying that crops like sugarcane, corn, and millet are taller in height and can conceal a person while crops like wheat and paddy grow up to only four feet in height.
इस भाजपा नेता के बयान आपका खून खौला देंगे-
– ऐसी लड़किया गन्ने, बाजरे के खेत में ही मिलती है, जंगल और नाले में मिलती है।
– वो दिन न आने दे कि लड़की पैदा होते ही मार दी जाए या सती प्रथा शुरू कर दी जाए।
– CBI की जांच हो गई, लड़के निर्दोष है।
– उन लड़कों की जवानी कौन लौटाएगा? pic.twitter.com/AthXPf41J6— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) October 6, 2020
At IFORHER, we are ashamed of how a policymaker can make such a statement. In times, when many are praying to seek justice for a 19-YO girl, these heartbreaking statements are an ugly reminder of how powerful people still promote the regressive patriarchal mindset.
