Not 'practical' for four men to rape woman, says Mulayam
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Updated: Aug 19, 2015 18:02 IST
Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav has triggered a fresh row
with his remarks on rape, saying that it is not “possible” for four men to
sexually assault the same woman.
Yadav, who sparked outrage last year by describing rapists as boys who
make “mistakes”, made the comments while addressing an official event in
Lucknow on Tuesday.
“Is it even possible that four men can rape a
woman? It’s not even practical. Now they will say somebody was watching,
someone was there. If there are four brothers, they name all of them,” Yadav
said in footage aired on TV news channels.
The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said
he had knowledge of “many false cases of rape”. He added: “One man commits the
rape and four men are named (in the case). I know of such cases.”
“Didn’t the same thing happen in Badaun? And what happened when the CBI
investigated? The CBI said it was all false,” he said, referring to the case of
two cousins, aged 14 and 15, who were allegedly gang-raped and murdered in
Badaun district.
The bodies of the two girls were found
hanging from a tree a day after they went missing. The incident triggered
outrage and drew widespread condemnation. UN secretary general Ban Ki-Moon
cited the case at an event marking the International Day to End Violence Against
Women.
Mulayam’s comments drew flak from several quarters with prominent
activists criticising his alleged insensitivity towards women. “There is a deep
contrast between the Samajwadi Party’s gender sensitive attitude being
highlighted through policies and party head Mulayam’s mindset. Such comments
only highlight his insensitivity towards women victims and his sympathy for
criminals,” said Roop Rekha Verma, former vice-chancellor of Lucknow
University.
Madhu Garg, state president of the All India
Democratic Women’s Association, highlighted a gang rape charge against the
nephew of an SP member. “The case involved six men—five of whom have been
convicted. It seems the SP supremo himself promotes such acts,” she said.
Yadav also said some people are being on
giving “negative publicity” to Uttar Pradesh. “Remember, if you tell a lie a
hundred times, it becomes the truth. There are powers spreading canards about
you,” he added. “Uttar Pradesh’s population is 21 crore while that of
(BJP-ruled) Madhya Pradesh is 6 crore. In Madhya Pradesh the percentage of rape
cases is 9.8 while in Uttar Pradesh it is 2%. In Rajasthan – also ruled by the
BJP – it is 7%. Don't even ask about Delhi, I live there and know what happens.
So, if there is one place with the lowest number of rapes, it is Uttar
Pradesh,” he said. While campaigning for the Lok Sabha polls in April last
year, Yadav had triggered outrage when he said it was unfair to award the death
penalty to rapists.
“Rape ke liye phaansi dena ghalat hai, ladkon
se ghalti ho jaati hai, hum satta mein aaye to kanoon mein badlav karenge
(Giving death sentence for rape is not right, boys make mistakes, there will be
changes to the law if we come to power),” he told a rally in Moradabad.
He had further said that boys and girls fall
in love but part ways due to differences. "When their friendship ends, the
girl complains she has been raped." Mulayam's remarks had come amidst a
controversy over women's security against the backdrop of the December 16, 2012
gang-rape of a paramedical student in Delhi. The government had amended the
Indian Penal Code in 2013 to give the death penalty to rapists.
Yadav, who sparked outrage last year by describing rapists as boys who make
“mistakes”, made the comments while addressing an official event in Lucknow on
Tuesday.
“Is it even possible that four men can rape a
woman? It’s not even practical. Now they will say somebody was watching,
someone was there. If there are four brothers, they name all of them,” Yadav
said in footage aired on TV news channels.
The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said
he had knowledge of “many false cases of rape”. He added: “One man commits the
rape and four men are named (in the case). I know of such cases.”
“Didn’t the same thing happen in Badaun? And what happened when the CBI
investigated? The CBI said it was all false,” he said, referring to the case of
two cousins, aged 14 and 15, who were allegedly gang-raped and murdered in
Badaun district.
The bodies of the two girls were found
hanging from a tree a day after they went missing. The incident triggered
outrage and drew widespread condemnation. UN secretary general Ban Ki-Moon
cited the case at an event marking the International Day to End Violence Against
Women.
Mulayam’s comments drew flak from several quarters with prominent
activists criticising his alleged insensitivity towards women. “There is a deep
contrast between the Samajwadi Party’s gender sensitive attitude being
highlighted through policies and party head Mulayam’s mindset. Such comments
only highlight his insensitivity towards women victims and his sympathy for
criminals,” said Roop Rekha Verma, former vice-chancellor of Lucknow
University.
Madhu Garg, state president of the All India
Democratic Women’s Association, highlighted a gang rape charge against the
nephew of an SP member. “The case involved six men—five of whom have been
convicted. It seems the SP supremo himself promotes such acts,” she said.
Yadav also said some people are being on
giving “negative publicity” to Uttar Pradesh. “Remember, if you tell a lie a
hundred times, it becomes the truth. There are powers spreading canards about
you,” he added. “Uttar Pradesh’s population is 21 crore while that of
(BJP-ruled) Madhya Pradesh is 6 crore. In Madhya Pradesh the percentage of rape
cases is 9.8 while in Uttar Pradesh it is 2%. In Rajasthan – also ruled by the
BJP – it is 7%. Don't even ask about Delhi, I live there and know what happens.
So, if there is one place with the lowest number of rapes, it is Uttar
Pradesh,” he said. While campaigning for the Lok Sabha polls in April last
year, Yadav had triggered outrage when he said it was unfair to award the death
penalty to rapists.
“Rape ke liye phaansi dena ghalat hai, ladkon
se ghalti ho jaati hai, hum satta mein aaye to kanoon mein badlav karenge
(Giving death sentence for rape is not right, boys make mistakes, there will be
changes to the law if we come to power),” he told a rally in Moradabad.
He had further said that boys and girls fall
in love but part ways due to differences. "When their friendship ends, the
girl complains she has been raped." Mulayam's remarks had come amidst a
controversy over women's security against the backdrop of the December 16, 2012
gang-rape of a paramedical student in Delhi. The government had amended the
Indian Penal Code in 2013 to give the death penalty to rapists.
