Delhi gang rape convict blames victim: 'A decent girl won't roam around at night'

Published March 2, 2015
Indian activists belonging to various rights organisations hold placards while they stage a demonstration in Bangalore on Dec 21, 2012, condemning the recent gang rape in New Delhi. — Photo by AFP
Indian activists belonging to various rights organisations hold placards while they stage a demonstration in Bangalore on Dec 21, 2012, condemning the recent gang rape in New Delhi. — Photo by AFP

One of the convicted rapists in the Delhi gang rape case of 2012 made a shocking statement Sunday when he blamed the victim of the widely reported sexual assault during an interview with a documentary film maker.

According to The Guardian, Leslee Udwin, the maker of the documentary “India’s Daughter” had interviewed convicted rapist Mukesh Singh for her short film when he made the controversial statement.

Mukesh was quoted as saying “You can’t clap with one hand – it takes two hands. A decent girl won’t roam around at night. A girl is more responsible for rape than a boy…”

Premiering on BBC4 on International Women’s Day, the documentary is about the short life and brutal rape of a 23-year-old woman whose tragic end lent impetus to women's rights activists in India.

The woman, a 23-year-old trainee physiotherapist, and a male friend were lured onto a bus by five men and a teenager in 2012. The woman was then repeatedly raped and tortured with a metal bar. Her injuries were so severe that she died two weeks later in a Singapore Hospital.

She became a symbol of the dangers women face in a country where a rape is reported on average every 21 minutes and acid attacks and cases of molestation are common.

Mukesh went on to call the incident an “accident” and said that if the two had not fought back, they would not have savagely beaten her – an act which led to her demise two weeks later.

“She should just be silent and allow the rape. Then they would have dropped her off after assaulting her and only hit the boy.”

According to the rapist, the imposition of the death penalty will create an even more dangerous environment for women in India. “Before, they would rape and say, ‘Leave her, she won’t tell anyone.’ Now when they rape, especially the criminal types, they will just kill the girl.”

Mukesh Singh, the driver of the bus boarded by the deceased and her friend, denied involvement in the incident, although DNA evidence has been found against him. His brother, Ram Singh, hung himself in his prison cell just months after the case went to trial.

Opinion

The price of chocolate

The price of chocolate

Little attention is paid to any long-term strategy which might prevent vulnerable children from working in homes where they are in danger.

Editorial

Cholistan project
Updated 18 Feb, 2025

Cholistan project

GPI goals align with Pakistan's broader economic aims but the manner in which the initiative was launched raises questions.
Right to know
18 Feb, 2025

Right to know

IT is an unfortunate paradox that while on paper Pakistan has some of the most impressive right to information laws,...
Dam dispute
18 Feb, 2025

Dam dispute

THE situation in Chilas needs attention and a fair-minded approach so that it can be resolved amicably. Diamer ...
Climate funding gap
Updated 17 Feb, 2025

Climate funding gap

Pakistan must boost its institutional capacity to develop bankable climate projects.
UN monitoring report
Updated 17 Feb, 2025

UN monitoring report

Pakistan must press Kabul diplomatically over its tolerance of TTP terrorism.
Tax policy reform
17 Feb, 2025

Tax policy reform

THE cabinet’s decision to create a Tax Policy Office at the finance ministry has raised hopes that tax policy is...