Mulayam under fire over rape remarks
new delhi — The mother of a student who was fatally gangraped on a bus led the outrage on Friday against an Indian political leader who described three convicted multiple rapists as “boys” who had made “mistakes”.
During a rally in Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday, Mulayam Singh Yadav said his Samajwadi Party would try to change the law on punishments for rapists after ongoing elections as he spoke out in defence of three men who have been sentenced to death for repeat sexual assaults.
“Three poor fellows have been sentenced to death. Should rape cases lead to hanging?” said the 74-year-old Yadav, whose party governs the electorally crucial state of Uttar Pradesh.
“They are boys, they make mistakes,” he added in reference to the three men aged 28, 21 and 19 who were sentenced in Mumbai last week for their part in two gang-rapes.
They were the first death sentences to be handed down for multiple sex attacks since the law was toughened following the outrage over the December 2012 attack on the bus in New Delhi.
The mother of the 23-year-old victim, who died of her injuries in a Singapore hospital two weeks after the assault, called Yadav a “disgusting and shameless” politician and urged voters to reject leaders who “don’t understand the torture women go through”.
“His comments hurt us so much,” the mother, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said.
“Every day women get raped and they are all mistakes? He talks about doing away with the death sentence for rapists but parents like us feel even death is not enough for rapists. They deserve worse.”
Yadav’s remarks sparked a backlash on social media where #backingrapists and ‘Mulayam Singh’ were top trending topics on Twitter.
Political parties and women’s rights groups poured scorn on the 74-year-old ex-wrestler over his “misogynistic” comments and demanded an apology.
“Comments by such a senior leader is not only objectionable, but also it is sad and shameful. Mulayam Singh’s remarks show how much respect he has for women in his heart, and how irresponsible he is towards women’s security,” ruling Congress party spokesman Meem Afzal said.
Ranjana Kumari, head of the Centre for Social Research in New Delhi, asked the Election Commission to take action against Yadav as “calling rape a small mistake is directly encouraging rape”.
Mulayam Singh Yadav is talking “rubbish”, RJD chief Lalu Prasad said on Friday, reacting to the Samajwadi Party chief terming as unfair the death penalty prescribed by law in rape cases.
“Mulayam Singh Yadav is derailed now,” Lalu Prasad told reporters before leaving for campaigning.
He said Mulayam Singh is talking “bakwaas” (rubbish).
Lalu Prasad said that Mulayam is not aware of what he was talking and what will be its impact.
The BJP on Friday termed Yadav’s comments opposing death penalty in rape cases as “dangerous”. Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said: “This is dangerous. You are saying you will dilute the antirape laws and are sending a message to women to not report incidents of rape. You are saying that if it (rape) is not proved, you (women) will also be punished.”
“We have to make women strong to make them report cases of rape instead of deterring them,” she told the media here.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) on Friday sent a notice to Yadav over his remarks on rape during an election rally in Moradabad.
The Commssion also sent a letter to the Election Commission of India to take cognizance of the matter and take action to curb such incidents in future. —