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These are men who were convicted after a long fight for justice. Men who knew exactly what they were doing, and did so anyway.
Trigger Warning: This deals with rape, rape culture, and violence against women, and may be triggering for survivors.
When Nirbhaya was gang raped on a bus in a cold December winter night, I reacted as a woman. When Disha was gangraped and murdered while returning home from work, I reacted as a woman. What happened to them could have happened to any woman who was going about her business in public. Both incidents exposed exactly how vulnerable women were in public. I demanded justice for them. I demanded greater safety for women.
In the case of Bilkis Bano, it was different. She was chosen as a victim because of her religion. The rapists were not unknown to her- they were people from her neighbourhood, people she knew, people who chose to assault and rape her because of who she was.
However, unlike in the case of Nirbhaya and Disha, in case of Bilkis Bano, I did not react as a woman. Because what happened to Bilkis Bano was not something that could happen to any woman. What happened to Bilkis Bano was something that could only happen to a woman from a minority community.
Rape is not about sex; it is about power. But when a woman is raped during communal (or casteist or linguistic) violence, it is not just to assert power over a woman, but to tell an entire community that they are powerless to protect their women. Bilkis Bano was raped not because she was a woman, but because she was a Muslim woman.
When on the 75th Anniversary of our Independence, the 11 men who were serving a life sentence for raping Bilkis Bano were released, the overwhelming emotion I felt was revulsion and anger. Here were 11 men who were convicted of committing a most gruesome crime, being released for ‘good behaviour’.
These were men who gangraped a pregnant woman, smashed her 3 year old daughter’s head in with a stone, and killed 14 members of the family. These are men who would have killed Bilkis Bano too, and only spared her, because they presumed she was dead. These are men who were convicted after a long fight for justice. Men who knew exactly what they were doing, and did so anyway.
By releasing these men on grounds of “good behaviour”, the message being sent out was clear- Justice is the preserve only of Upper Class Hindus, and anyone else should not aspire to seek Justice.
As Indians, we have been brought up to believe that as citizens of India, our life is governed by the principles of Justice, Equality, Liberty and Fraternity. As Dr. Ambedkar said, “..(the Preamble to the Constitution is).. a way of life, which recognizes liberty, equality, and fraternity as the principles of life and which cannot be divorced from each other.”
Each of us who loves the Constitution, naturally, feels betrayed by the act of releasing the 11 convicts, because it tells us that Justice is reserved only for certain communities, that all citizens cannot take equality, liberty or fraternity for granted.
I reacted as a woman to the gang rape and murder of Nirbhaya and Disha. I react as an Indian to the release of the men who gang raped Bilkis Bano.
Natasha works in the development sector, where most of her experience has been in Education and Livelihoods. She is passionate about working towards gender equity, sustainability and positive climate action. And avid reader and occasional read more...
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People say that women are the greatest enemies of women. I vehemently disagree. It is the patriarchal mindset that makes women believe in the wrong ideology.
The entire world celebrates International Women’s Day on March 8, 2024. It should be a joyful day, but unfortunately, not all women are entitled to this privilege, as violence against women is at its peak. The experience of oppression pushes many women to choose freedom. As far as patriotism is concerned, feminism is not a cup of tea in this society.
What happens when a woman decides to stand up for herself? Does this world easily accept the decisions of women in this society? What inspires them to be free of the clutches of the oppression that women have faced for ages? Most of the time, women do not get the chance to decide for themselves. Their lives are always at the mercy of someone, which can be their parents, siblings, husband, or children.
In some cases, women do not feel the need to make any decisions. They are taught to obey the patriarchal system, which makes them believe that they are right. In my family, I was never taught to make decisions on my own. It was always my parents who bought dresses and all that I needed.
14 years after her last feature film Dhobi Ghat, storyteller extraordinaire comes up with her new film, Laapataa Ladies, a must watch.
*Some spoilers alert*
Every religion around the world dictates terms to women. The onus is always on women to be ‘modest’ and cover their faces and bodies so men can’t be “tempted”, rather than on men to keep their eyes where they belong and behave like civilized beings. So much so that even rape has been excused on the grounds of women eating chowmein or ‘men will be men’. I think the best Hindi movie retort to this unwanted advice on ‘akeli ladki khuli tijori ki tarah hoti hai’ (an alone woman is like an open jewellery box) came from Geet in Jab We Met – Kya aap gyan dene ke paise lete hain kyonki chillar nahin hain mere paas.
The premise of Laapataa Ladies is beautifully simple – two brides clad in the ghunghat that covers their identity get mixed up on a train. Within this Russian Doll, you get a comedy of errors, a story of getting lost, a commentary on patriarchy’s attitude towards women, a mystery, and a tale of finding oneself, all in one. Done with a mostly light touch that has you laughing and nodding along.
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