In a two-week long investigation TEHELKA undercover reporters spoke to more than 30 senior cops in Delhi-NCR region. More than half had shockingly ugly views on rape victims…
In a two-week long investigation TEHELKA undercover reporters spoke to more than 30 senior cops in Delhi-NCR region. More than half had shockingly ugly views on rape victims…
I love Tehelka for your unbiased and fearless reporting. But I feel when handling an issue like Rape, especially at a time when the country is still bereaving the young girl who was killed, I think there could have been a more sensitive reporting!
While most of the statements of the policemen in the videos smack of chauvinistic and feudal tendencies and needs to be condemned in the strongest words, I am also tempted to give the statements of a few a patient hearing.
Lets be honest, like all men are not rapists, there are probably also some women with loose morals. So maybe some part of what these police are saying is true.
I feel, Tehelka by painting everyone of them with the same brush, is playing to the gallery. As a magazine which has always been fighting for justice and trying to lead Indian youth, I think you have the responsibility of not being reckless in your reporting.
What we need is for all sections of the society to introspect and come out with multi-pronged solutions to not just stop rape but also understand and address the pysche which makes a person commit such horiffic crimes!
This will be one long journey and we want responsible media like Tehelka to help lead us all and usher in an India where a woman feels secure to wear anything she wants to, and walk out anytime she wants to, anywhere with anyone!
@Kailash I do not understand what you meant when you said you wish Telkha has been more sensitive in the wake of young girl being killed?!
is there anything wrong in highlighting the sheer stupidity of law enforcers throughout our country?!
Yes, i think we can all agree that all men are not rapists, but do tell what does women who may have loose morals have anything to do with rape?!
Rape is forced sex, a woman can choose to sell her body, can be a prostitute, can choose to drink, may cheat on her boyfriend and so on, none of those reasons justify rape. Whether the victim of rape is man/women , boy / girl or gay/lesbian / transgender YOU CAN NEVER justify rape PERIOD.
If anyone one justifies the act of rape or apologetic to the actions of a rapist then both the rapist and the rape apologists are messed up individuals, are not human, and in serious need of psychiatric help and reality check.
What happened with “Amanat” the brave heart in Delhi bus certainly calls for the death sentence be given to the perpetrators. Nothing less than that. But the bigger question is what about the rapes taking place of the Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribes and OBC women and girls around the country for past several decades. No media hype and demonstrations one sees taking place at Jantar Mantar, India Gate for them. Arundhati Roy, the international fame author, is hounded by the ruling government, RSS, BJP, Congress, BSF, Police, Paramilitary etc when she raises a voice for these helpless women who have no recourse to justice. Even Justice Markanday Katju has reminded Indians to see beyond their noses. Modi leading the RSS, Bajrang Dal, Shiv Sainiks, VHP in Gujarat 2002 genocide got so many innocent girls/women raped and killed. Even the fetus of the pregnant woman was ripped open and she was killed by Babu Bajrangi, but he has not been given death sentence. Are SCs, STs, OBC and women/girls coming from minority/rural section of India not human beings? Their rape is not a rape but rape of a middle/upper middle class coming from cities and metros is and should be given death sentence only. My dear Indians kindly think seriously in an unbiased and non-communal manner after the sacrifice of this brave woman in Delhi.
I wonder what media really wants …people’s safety or just ratings for ad revenue ? What policemen are saying in these so called “expose” is 100% true …and every Indian knows this! I left India 20 years ago to live in USA and even when I was in India in Engineering School, I was one of the most westerised persons around …and saw such things with my own eyes…well actually heard first hand accounts.
One girl going out with her “boy-friend” willingly has sex on many occasions. And on one such occasion ..the guy happens to have a few friends over who also join in for “fun”. Take turns on her..and later on have a good laugh about it. This story played out so many times ..I considered it rape then and do so now. But where is the common-sense ..where is the prudence?
So my dear naive Tehelka reporter stop being “Ellsworth Toohey”….. if you don’t know what I am talking about the read Fountainhead.
@Anjali : Just because u have lived in the US, and consider yourself to have western ideals, doesn’t make you any less of a rape apologist.
A girl may choose to have many sexual partners or not. But if anyone one forces a sexual act against another persons will IT IS CALLED RAPE, PERIOD.
Someone who drinks,goes clubbing/pubbing, had a promiscuous lifestyle, is out late at night, hangs out with boys, is a sex worker, wears revealing clothes, gay/lesbian/transgender. does not fit into societies false idea of Indian culture/tradition/religion IS NEVER a reason or justification for RAPE,
I agree with Jeremiah’s views above that nothing can ever justify rape. However, we should also keep in view an alarming fact that post the recent outrage over crime against women, and even though laws have been amended and made stricter, the number of such cases instead of going down, on the contrary, have gone up! We should take a step back and see where are we going wrong!? While the victim of a rape deserves our support & love, what about the rapist.. isn’t the rapist a victim too? I sometimes wonder how confused the youth of today must be, constantly bomarded by abundance of oomph on the numerous TV channels, our divas dancing merrily to sheila ki jawani, munni..Emraan Hashmi giving a new meaning to cinematic ‘freedom of expression’! On the one hand when there is an over dose of sexuality all around us, we feel all is well, on the other hand when the results show up, we blame it squarely on the police! I do not think the youth of this country is mature enough to handle the confusing stimuli that they encounter, let us help them instead of confusing them even more! Why do women agree to be portrayed as objects in cinema & advertising? I occassionally chance upon Channel V or Bindaas TV and am amazed at the content of the programs – violence, betrayal, overtone of sexuality.. Why is any such thought that sounds like corrective always taken to be regressive or an infringement on ‘freedom’? Why is it that in the name of Indian culture, we only talk of the Khajuraho temples or Kamasutra. Isn’t there more to Indian culture? Why are we encouraging consumption of alcohol as a society? I sometimes feel that we as a society create the recipe for rape but when it actually happens, we feel outraged. Why? Can women agree to dress responsibly till we get signs that people have the maturity to handle their sexuality? Can Indian advertising & cinema agree to bear the commercial cost for making their content less sexually loaded? Can men agree to undertake to do ALL that it takes to feel genuinely respectful towards women? Can we agree that we will boycott next time there is an ‘item song’ or a product using a woman as a commodity. Can we agree to boycott the incessant mushrooming of liquor shops all around the country? Can parents agree to make it a point to teach their growing up boys that every woman has a right to fearless living? There is a death penalty of murder in our country. Has that stopped people killing each other? I am reminded of an interesting excerpt from ‘The Secret’ – what do we chose to focus on..are we anti rape or are we pro humanity. Are we anti violence or are we pro peace. I am sure that none of us wants that rapes should continue to happen and we should HANG THE RAPIST? I think what we want is that WOMEN SHOULD BE SAFE AND FREE. Let us focus on that..this is the paradigm shift that we desperately need now, or else we will continue expressing our opinions, while the suffering will continue.