Agencies/New Delhi
A lawmaker from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has described rape as a social crime, saying “sometimes it’s right, sometimes it’s wrong,” in the latest controversial remarks by a politician about rape.
The political leaders of Uttar Pradesh, the state where two cousins aged 14 and 15 were raped and hanged last week, have faced criticism for failing to visit the scene and for accusing the media of hyping the story.
A regional politician from Modi’s own party said yesterday that the crime of rape can only be considered to have been committed if it is reported to police.
“This is a social crime which depends on men and women. Sometimes it’s right, sometimes it’s wrong,” said Babulal Gaur, the home minister responsible for law and order in the BJP-run central state of Madhya Pradesh.
“Until there’s a complaint, nothing can happen,” Gaur told reporters.
Gaur also expressed sympathy with Mulayam Singh Yadav, head of the Samajwadi Party that runs Uttar Pradesh. In the recent election, Yadav criticised legal changes that foresee the death penalty for gang-rape, saying: “Boys commit mistakes: Will they be hanged for rape?”
Gaur said: “What can Mulayam and Akhilesh do (to prevent rapes)?”
Akhilesh Yadav is Mulayam Singh’s son and Uttar Pradesh chief minister.
Gaur said that “rapes happen when a man loses his mental balance.”
“This (rape) is a human perversion. No one informs others before committing a rape, so that he can be apprehended. We can prevent someone (from driving) without a helmet on the streets to prevent accidents. There is no info about a potential rapist. It happens in an isolated area,” said Gaur.
He added that “if a rape is committed and there is a report, then we can take action on it.”
On Wednesday, Mulayam Singh snapped at reporters and said: “I am doing my job, you do yours.”
“Strict action is being taken (in the case). What else can I say,” he added.
His remarks came after his chief minister-son told reporters earlier that they should run a Google search to find out the number of rapes happening elsewhere in the country and stop focusing on Uttar Pradesh.
Gaur also advised women to take up “Judo-Karate” in order to defend themselves.
The BJP dismissed Gaur’s comments as an expression of his personal views, and not the party’s.
Modi, who was sworn in as prime minister last week after a landslide election victory, has so far remained silent over the double killing in the village of Katra Shahadatganj, around half a day’s drive east of New Delhi.
The father and uncle of one of the victims said they tried to report the crime to local police but had been turned away. Three men have been arrested over the killings. Two policemen were held on suspicion of trying to cover up the crime.
Although a rape is reported in India every 21 minutes on average, law enforcement failures mean that such crimes - a symptom of pervasive sexual and caste oppression - are often not reported or properly investigated, human rights groups say.
More sex crimes have come to light in recent days. A woman in a nearby district of Uttar Pradesh was gang-raped, forced to drink acid and strangled to death. Another was shot dead in the northeastern state of Meghalaya while resisting attackers, media reports said.
Girl thwarts rape bid by three men
A 19-year-old girl foiled an attempt by three neighbours to rape her, police said in New Delhi yesterday. The girl was abducted by three men around 8pm on Wednesday when she went to fetch water from a tap near her home in south Delhi’s Fatehpur Beri area. “The girl fought back with the men when they tried to rape her. When she resisted, they badly beat her up. But the girl continued to fight and managed to flee,” said a police officer. After she reached home, the girl informed her parents about her ordeal. The parents later approached the police. Meanwhile, the unidentified body of a woman was found dumped inside a sack in north Delhi’s Mahendra Park area, police said. A passerby, who saw the sack lying on the roadside at Azadpur Mandi in north Delhi’s Mahendra Park area, informed the police.