UPDATE: BJP MP Ramesh Bais told reporters referring to the rape case involving minor inmates of a government-run residential school: The rape of grown-up girls and women might be understandable, but if someone does this to an infant, it is a heinous crime and the offenders should be hanged. (Firstpost)
Manohar Lal Sharma, a lawyer who represents three of the accused, speaking to Bloomberg in an interview: Sharma said the male companion of the murdered 23-year-old was wholly responsible for the incident as the unmarried couple should not have been on the streets at night. Until today I have not seen a single incident or example of rape with a respected lady, Sharma said in an interview at a cafe outside the Supreme Court.
Even an underworld don would not like to touch a girl with respect.
Sharma said the man and woman should not have been traveling back late in the evening and making their journey on public transport. He also said it was the mans responsibility to protect the woman and that he had failed in his duty. The man has broken the faith of the woman, Sharma said yesterday. If a man fails to protect the woman, or she has a single doubt about his failure to protect her, the woman will never go with that man.
Asaram Bapu, self-proclaimed godman: She should have taken Gods name and could have held the hand of one of the men and said I consider you as my brother, and should have said to the other two Brother I am helpless, you are my brother, my religious brother. In other words, if shes begged for forgiveness and cited the fraternity of man and called to God for help, all would have been well. Bapus spokesperson later responded to criticism of his statements by saying that women who get raped bear a fraction of the responsibility. (Hindustan Times)
Puducherry Education Minister T Thiagarajan, on making girls in the tropical southern city wear overcoats so men wont be driven mad with lust: The meeting resolved to introduce overcoats for girl students, operate special buses for them and ban mobile phones in schools. Our government is committed to ensuring safety of women, particularly girl students. (Hindustan Times)
Rajasthan BJP lawmaker Banwari Lal Singhal: A BJP MLA in Rajasthan has demanded a ban on skirts as uniform in schools to keep girls away from mens lustful gazes. Alwar (Urban) legislator Banwari Lal Singhal has 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 mens lustful gazes and for their comfort in hot and cold weather conditions, Singhal told PTI. (Outlook)
Abu Asim Azmi, state president of the Maharashtra Samajwadi Party: If you keep petrol and fire together then it will burn. There should be a law to ensure that there should be no nangapan (nudity). Those who wear less clothes should also be banned. Also, paraphrased: fashion and nudity are responsible for the current situation in India. And in rural India, girls dont go searching out for boyfriend(s). It goes on: I support death penalty for the Delhi rapists but there should also be a law that women should not wear less clothes and roam around with boys who are not their relatives. What is the need for roaming at night with men who are not relatives? This should be stopped. To be fair, here is the response from his son Farhan: We are a cosmopolitan family, I have five sisters, they are educated, they drive and roam around in cars, we have always respected girls as equals and is that how it should be. (India Today)
Congress MP Abhijit Mukherjee (son of President Pranab Mukherjee): Those who claim to be students I can see many beautiful women among them highly dented-painted [sic] theyre giving interviews on TV, theyve brought their children to show them the scenes. I have grave doubts whether theyre students, because women of that age are generally not students. (Note: by dented-painted, we generally understand this to mean that theyre either a) a bit older and therefore need to be made up to look attractive, b) theyre like a car after a repair job, or c) theyre generally made up, and somehow not serious about their protests against the climate of rape and lack of prosecution in India. (Financial Express)
Madhya Pradesh BJP leader Vijayvargiya: Only when Sitaji crossed the Lakshman rekha, she was kidnapped by Ravan. If Sitaji (woman) crosses the Lakshman rekha, then Sitaharan (crime against them) is bound to take place as Ravans are out there. Heres the background on that, along with one hell of a deconstruction of the plight of women alone in the forest, by Nilanjana Roy. Vijayvargiya withdrew his remark under pressure, by the way. (Deccan Chronicle)
Chhattisgarh Home Minister Nanki Ram Kanwar: Harm can come on a person if the stars are in adverse positions
We have no answer to this, only an astrologer can predict. (India Today)
Mohan Bhagwat (chief of right-wing organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh): A husband and wife are involved in a contract under which the husband has said that you should take care of my house and I will take care of all your needs. I will keep you safe. So, the husband follows the contract terms. Till the time, the wife follows the contract, the husband stays with her, if the wife violates the contract, he can disown her. (NDTV)
More Bhagwat: Villages that embody the spirit of Bharat rather than India dont produce a culture of rape. Thats something that you see in areas in which western cultures poison has seeped into Indian souls, most notably in urban areas.
Jitendar Chattar (leader of a Khap Panchayat): To my understanding, consumption of fast food contributes to such incidents. Chowmein leads to hormonal imbalance evoking an urge to indulge in such acts.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee: Earlier if men and women would hold hands, they would get caught by parents and reprimanded but now everything is so open. Its like an open market with open options. (CNN-IBN)
Dr. Anita Shukla, scientist at the Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya: When a group of men intend to rape, they will do it. The victim should save herself for bringing the perpetrators to book
Had the girl simply surrendered (and not resisted) when surrounded by six men, she would not have lost her intestine. Why was she out with her boyfriend at 10 pm? (Indian Express)
Jamaat-E-Islami Hind (Islamist organisation). Statement released by Secretary General Nusrat Ali: Co-education should be abolished and proper education facilities meant exclusively for women should be available at all level of education. Educational institutions should prescribe sober and dignified dress for girls. (Times of India)
MP Rajpal Saini: Why do housewives and school going girls need mobiles? It encourages them to make futile small talk and get connected with people outside their homes. (Reuters, citing
