(Shruti Verma Singh is Head - Strategy and Brand, NDTV Prime)
This letter is in response to the ban in India on the documentary "India's Daughter" made by Leslee Udwin, who is herself a victim of rape. This is also a response to Arnab Goswami who described the planned screening of the film on NDTV as "Voyeurism and not Journalism." At the time of writing this, the BBC has decided to go ahead and screen the film. Among the people interviewed in the film is one of the six rapists responsible for the brutal gang rape of a 23-year-old on December 16, 2012. They had each raped the woman before viciously and brutally assaulting her with an iron rod.
- Chrystine Oksana, Safe Passage to Healing
Dear Prime Minister:
Advertisement
This was not rape - it was a violent and barbaric act that also cost an innocent girl her life! Her only fault? She happened to be a girl in India and that she was out with a friend at night! There are numerous others like Nirbhaya who are forced to confront this fear every single day.
Advertisement
Young women are stalked, kidnapped, raped in cars, buses, trains, picked up from the streets of cosmopolitan cities, taken advantage of by cab drivers, molested by strangers, some of them thrown out from moving vehicles and some broken even in the safety of their own homes.
Advertisement
However, banning the film or bringing up questions as to how the film-maker was allowed to interview the rapist etc takes away from the issue that rape (and they seem to be getting even more barbaric as time goes by) is a stark reality in India that needs to be confronted.
Advertisement
Now the issue of Arnab Goswami labelling the screening of the film on NDTV and BBC as "Voyeurism and not Journalism."
Advertisement
I accept that I may not be as aggressive or as intelligent as Mr Goswami, but I do know, even in my limited understanding, that this brutal rape can never be of any sexual interest to any sane journalist. In fact the film is the hardest-hitting truth about an event and mindset that needs to be told the way it is. Maybe as a man, it may not turn Mr Goswami's insides, but incidents like these chill every woman I know and every parent with a daughter.
Moreover , a channel that has been at the forefront of fighting for justice - be it the Jessica Lal case, the Nirbhaya case and even the recent Uber rape case - does not need to run this film to garner TRPs! If that was what it had in mind, wouldn't it be easier for the channel to run a daily crime show instead - which it chose to do away with for ethical reasons?
So Mr Prime Minister - Ban the film if you must. But more importantly, Ban Rape! Ban Rapists! Please find a way to ban the mindset of men like Mukesh featured in the documentary, who think it's perfectly normal to rape. Do something that allows victims to get justice and ban the system that allows perpetrators to get away. Enable our girls to feel safe by ensuring that such incidents are prevented in future. The film is a stark reminder that we are nowhere close to resolving anything - whether it's the mindset or the system.
Banning the film on TV (especially after the rapist's pictures and quotes are splashed across Print and Digital Media, and now screened on a foreign channel) only reflects our own limited intellect and is yet another instance of our sheer foolishness that, despite repeated reminders of the reality of rape in India, we seem to have learnt nothing at all.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this blog are the personal opinions of the author. NDTV is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any information on this blog. All information is provided on an as-is basis. The information, facts or opinions appearing on the blog do not reflect the views of NDTV and NDTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Girl, 10, Gang-Raped, Body Found With Smashed Head In Delhi: Police "Benefit Of Doubt Should Be Given": 4 Accused in 2016 Gang-Rape Acquitted Woman Gang-Raped By 2 Men While Flat Hunting In Delhi AAP's Atishi To Be Delhi's New Chief Minister, Chosen By Arvind Kejriwal "Your Duty...": Chief Justice On Bengal's 'No Night Shift For Women' Note AAP Asks Its Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal To Quit Over Atishi Remarks Registrations Extended For Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Selection Test 2025 India's Options For Russia-Ukraine Peace Are Growing Complicated Man From Bihar's Jamui Secures Rs 2 Crore Package At Google London Office Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.