Reducingrapetoageneric

Indianmalemindsetfailsits
victims
PriyamvadaGopal
SexualviolenceinIndiacannotbeseparatedfrom
exploitationinitswiderforms,includingclassoppression
andviciousglobaleconomicinequality

ThousandsralliedinDimapuron4Marchtoprotestagainsttherapeofastudent.
Photograph:CaisiiMao/Corbis
Wednesday4March201519.59GMT
LastmodifiedonFriday6March201509.12GMT

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hestorynowhasthestatusofdystopiclegend.Onacold
DecemberDelhinightin2012,ayoungwomanreturninghome
fromwatchingafilmwithamalefriendwasgangraped,beaten
andthrownoutofabustodie.Givenaseriesofpseudonyms,most
frequentlyNirbhayaortheFearlessOne,hersickeningfate
caughtthehorrifiedimaginationofmiddleclassurbanIndiaand
theworldbeyond.Youngpeople,menandwomen,pouredouton
tothestreetstocallforanendtorapeandtodemandthatIndian
citiesbemadesaferforwomen.

IndiasDaughter:BBCbringsforwardairingofDelhi
rapedocumentary
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Formany,therapeofaneducatedyoungwomantravellingon
publictransportinIndiascapitalcityspoketoanunacceptable
andforsome,embarrassingdiscrepancybetweenthesoaring
growthfigureswhichnourishedanincreasinglyaffluentIndian
middleclassproudofitsmodernity,andwhatwasfrequently
describedasabackwardorbarbaricmindset.
NowIndiasDaughter,adocumentarybyBritishfilmmakerLeslee
Udwin,airedonBBC4onWednesdaynight,hasignitedanew
controvers.Thefilmpurportstoexposethissavagemindsetby
carryinganinterviewwithMukeshSingh,oneofthejailedrapists
whoseappealagainsthissentenceisstillpending.Init,an
apparentlyunremorsefulSinghblamesrapesquarelyonwomen
roaminginpublicplacesatnight.Hisfamouslybullishlawyer,ML
Sharma,hasalsosuggestedthatthevictimwasresponsibleforher

fateinaculturewhichhasnoplaceforwomen.

DelhirapedocumentarymakerappealstoNarendra
Modioverbroadcastban
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Onthebasisofcomplaints,includingthechargethattheconvicted
rapistsremarksinciteviolenceagainstwomen,theIndian
governmenthastakenstepstorestraintheIndianmediafrom
showingtheinterviewuntilfurthernotice.Significantly,many
Indianwomensrightsactivistshavealsosuggestedthatitis
judiciallyproblematictoairSinghsstatementwhilethematteris
stillinthecourts.

IndianwomenfoundtheirvoiceaftertheDelhirape.
Couldthisfilmhelpsilencethemagain?
NilanjanaSRoy
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Inanimpassionedstatementwhichusesthewordcivilisedin
threeconsecutivesentencesasanexhortationagainstcriticsofthe
broadcast,UdwinhasappealedtoIndianprimeministerNarendra
Moditopersonallyinterveneagainstwhatshedeemsattemptsto
silenceherfilmthroughkneejerkhysteria.
Udwinselevationtothestatusoffreespeechmartyrandthe
ensuingcontroversyislikelytoboosttheviewingfiguresinBritain
forafilmthatshedescribesashavingbeenmadethrough
enormouspersonalsacrifice.Shehasstressedherabdicationof
homecomfortstotravelwithConradiandeterminationtoexplore
theblackestrecessesofthehumanheart.Indianfeminists,onthe
otherhand,haveexpresseduneasenotonlywiththetimingof
thedocumentarysbroadcastwhichmight,theyfear,resultina
furthertrialbymediaoftheaccused,alreadyfasttrackedthrough
thejudicialsystembecauseofthepublicoutcry,butalsowith
someofthepremisesbothofthefilmandtheassociated
DaughtersofIndiaglobalcampaignagainstsexualviolenceto
belaunchednextweekatastarstuddedNewYorkscreening.
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AstheleadingfeministcampaignerandSecretaryoftheAllIndia
ProgressiveWomensAssociation,KavitaKrishnan,notes,Indian
antirapeprotestorsthemselveshaveunambiguouslyrejectedthe

patriarchallanguagewhichdenoteswomenasdaughters,wivesor
sistersentitledtoprotectioninthatcapacityratherthanashuman
beingswhowillassertthemselvesandresistattacksontheirbodies
andrights.
Indianwomensrightscampaignerswho,asithappens,have
beenactiveandvocalonthequestionofrapefordecadesbefore
December2012,evenifthatmiserableeventgalvanisedawaveof
impressivefreshprotestsfrequentlyfindthemselveswedged
betweenIndianpatriarchswhodenythatrapeisaseriousproblem
orblameitonwesternisation,andthewellmeaningbutoftenill
informedmaternalismofsomewesternfeministquartersthatlay
theblameonaparticularlyretrogrademindsetinIndia.Itisafalse
choicerightlyrejectedbyKrishnanandothersevenasrulingright
wingIndianpoliticianshavequicklytakenrecoursetothe
languageofhurtsentimentsandwoundednationalpridein
objectingtothefilm.
Incontrast,Indianfeministsfullybelievethatrapeculturemustbe
widelyexposedanddiscussedaspreciselyanationalproblem,
thoughhardlyauniquelyIndianone.Theyalsobelieve,correctly,
thatviolenceagainstwomencannotbediscussedasasingleissue
reducible,inMerylStreepsratherjejunewords,toamindsetthat
mustbemadetoknowithasnoplaceinthecivilisedworld.
Systemicsexualviolenceisnotacocktailpartyfauxpas;itwill
notblushandquicklymenditswaysforfearofbadpublicityand
notbeingallowedtositatthetableoftheputativelycivilised,
althoughquitewhichrapefreecountryishostingthisdinnerisas
yetunknown.
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OneofthegreatstrengthsofIndiasdiverseandflourishing
womensrightsmovementisthatmanyofitsmostpowerfulvoices
stressthesystemicanduniversalnatureofsexualviolencewhich,
however,takesdifferentformsdependingoncontext.Rapecanbe
aperfectlymodernweaponthatisintimatelyconnectedtoother
systemsofprivilege,exploitationandinequality,including,inthe
Indiancontext,casteoppression,religiouschauvinism,resource
appropriation(includingthatofmineralrichlandfromindigenous
tribalcommunitiesbymultinationalcorporations)andthevicious
economicinequalitiesfosteredbyanunfetteredcapitalism
prosperitythathasyettobringbasicshelterandnourishmentto
millions.
Totalkaboutrapeintermsofasavageculturalpsychelockedto
thepastistomissthedensewoodforthemostexotictreesifthat
discussiondoesnotexaminehowthesamegovernmentappealed
tonowbyUdwinisbackedbyHindurightwingpoliticalgroups
whichwieldedmassrapeasaweaponagainstMuslimwomenin
Gujaratin2002whereModiwaschiefminister.(OneHindu

supremacistrecentlycalledforevendeadMuslimwomentobe
raped).Tonotnotethewaysinwhichrapehasbeensystematically
usedtokeepDalitwomenandcommunitiesintheirplaceby
uppercastesthreatenedbychangeistofailrapevictims.Tonot
thinkabouthowclassragecanbelethallydisplacedontothe
bodiesofwomeninacontextwhereeconomicdisenfranchisement
crackleslikelightningthroughthebodypoliticofIndiaistofail
rapevictims.ToreducerapetoamatterofagenericIndianmale
mindsetistofailrapevictims.Itis,atbest,embarrassinglyfacile.
Atworst,itistocolludeinthesilencesaboutgenderexploitation
andsexualviolenceasverymodernproblemsinseparablefrom
everyotherformofglobalexploitationthatblightsoursupposedly
emancipatedtimes.