Click to play videoA modern society is known by how free its women are. Karnataka - supposedly one of modern India's most favoured investment destination, the home of Infosys and Narayan Murthy - was recently the site of a horrific attack against women.
Activists of the Sri Ram Sene attacked women in a pub in Mangalore because it objected to women not following "traditional Indian morality". The leader of the Sri Ram Sene, Pramod Muthalik was arrested on Tuesday, but not for the Mangalore assault, for another case. The BJP is now trying to distance itself from the group.
The question that was being asked on CNN-IBN's Face The Nation was: Are orthodox religious groups uncomfortable with the modern woman?
To try and answer the question on the panel of experts were: Senior BJP leader, advocate and State Women's Commission chairperson Prameela Nesargi; Member of the RSS National Executive Ram Madhav; Editor Lankesh Patrike Gauri Lankesh; Dukhtaran-e-Millat Chief Asiya Andrabi; and Editor Manushi as well as Women's Activist Madhu Kishwar.
At the beginning of the show, 86 per cent of the people who voted in agreed that orthodox religious groups were uncomfortable with the modern woman, while a minority 14 per cent disagreed.
CIVIL SOCIETY CRIES SHAME
Pramod Muthalik used to be a member of the RSS so many people are associating this act of his men as a "Hindutva act". People are enraged that someone calling himself the head of the Sri Ram Sene had allowed 40 men to go to a club, molest women, beat them up and call them them prostitutes just because they happened to be there spending time with their friends.
Ram Madhav responded to this saying, "The way the vandalism took place is highly condemnable. It is the most un-Hindu act. What is more shameful is to use the name of Hinduism to indulge in that kind of vandalism. It is unfortunate. We want stern action to be taken against this group. And we are happy that the state government has already arrested a few of the perpetrators and we are sure they will be punished severely."
It seems though that the BJP is now distancing itself from the Sri Ram Sene because of the national outcry against the incident. In the past though when the Sri Ram Sene attacked churches, editors, media and co-ed buses then the BJP did not say anything.
Prameela Nesargi started her part in the debate on an aggressive note saying that it was not correct to say that the BJP was "now" distancing itself from the Sri Ram Sene. She said that BJP had been distancing itself from the group for quite some time.
"Muthalik had been fighting against the BJP. He has been contesting against the BJP. The moment he entered Belgaum into Karnataka, he has been taken into custody," she stated.
She added that the law itself against people creating such public nuisance was very flaky and needed to be amended. "It is high time that this law became non-bailable and it that Section 354 should be used to show that an assault on a woman is a crime and deserves seven-year imprisonment. Our government has taken all measures to see that Muthalik and his people - more than 27 - have been arrested,"she added.
Gauri Lankesh said she completely disagreed with Prameela. "Muthalik has more than 40-50 cases pending against him. And Ms Nesargi should remember that the same Yedyurappa government recently withdrew around 15 cases against Muthalik for a hate speech. They have not taken any action and Ms Nesargi is just talking through her hat."
The actions of the Sri Ram Sene seem to be transforming into a real cultural fear and now a lot of people are lending tacit support to groups like these. However, Madhu Kishtwar said that she did not see the Sri Ram Sene's actions as an expression of religious orthodoxy. She said this was modern hooliganism, partly patronised, part of vote bank politics of the most cynical kind.
"You can see from the footage that these guys had no culture of any kind leave alone orthodox culture. None of our shankracharyas or priests are going berserk over it. What nudity are they talking about? Have they ever been to the Ajanta caves? These guys should be taken on a tour to our religious sites. You see the kind of garments women wear in those carvings at Ajanta. It's a celebration of the human body, not an embarrassment, not a Victorian sense of shame about the women," she said.
"There is no doubt that in India there is a growing gap between the westernised and those who object to the decadent western culture. But the point is that these kind of men would lynch the Lord Krishna for his Raas Leela simply because they have no clue what culture means. These people are modern political hoodlums. They have nothing to do with Hinduism or any other kind of culture except goonda culture.
TALIBANISATION OF INDIA?
Asiya Andrabi's Dukhtaran-e-Millat is one such group which has been involved in destroying cafes where girls and boys meet, condemning Valentine's Day and forcing young people to adopt "traditional values".
On the show, Andrabi said that we want not just women but also men to adopt traditional values. "We don't beat them up on Valentine's Day. We try and teach them what is right and to follow the lord's path," she stated adding that her group was at the receiving end of propaganda when people said they were involved in acid throwing incidents. "We are staunch believers in Islam and Islam does not allow us to throw acid on others. We condemn that," she stated.
Madhu Kishtwar interrupted at this point saying that the kind of outfit Andrabi was wearing, covered from head to toe was totally alien to Kashmiri culture. "Kashmiri Islam has never displayed this kind of hatred for a woman's body that it had to be covered in this manner."
Ram Madhav jumped to Andrabi's defence at this point saying she should have been allowed to have her say on Kashmiri culture too, and that it was healthy to debate. He then said that such violence should not be allowed and that everyone was unanimous on that, but that modernity could not be equated with nudity or pop culture.
"Many men, mothers, sisters would not agree with this equation. Forget about us. We are all for modernity, not nudity. But no vandalism should also be allowed," he said trying to strike a medium.
STATE SUPPORT?
Some seem to think that the fact is the Sri Ram Sene could not have done anything if it was not confident of support from the state and that if it did not have that support, it would have never taken the law in its hands. In the past when the Sri Ram Sene attacked churches and minorities, the state government did not do anything.
Prameela Nesargi said that she did not know where such people got their information from because it was just not true. "To say that these people were involved in breaking down churches etc is too much. It is beyond comprehension."
When Madhu Kishtwar asked if they would support the demand for no bail for these people and an expeditious trial, Nesargi said that she was one with them. "If the law is not amended and says they can be bailed out, the court is helpless," Nesargi snapped back.
When Madhu Kishtwar said that these groups were in cohorts with the Sangh Parivar, Nesargi angrily asked her not to bring the Sangh Parivar into the picture every time. "It is not a Hindu group. It is a benami group. I am telling you right now that Congress' hand is behind this. A Congress Councilor was arrested - he was one of the persons in the Mangalore pub attack group," Nesargi said, now shouting.
She added that it was not that this was happening only in a BJP-ruled state, but that it was hyped in the press and the Opposition to bring a bad name to the BJP. "Tell me what happened in Maharashtra yesterday (MNS rampage of Bhojpuri event in a school). What action has been taken?" she demanded to know.
Gauri Lankesh said it seemed the BJP government in Karnataka was systematically destroying democratic freedoms in the state. "There was an incident three years ago when a Muslim father and son pair were accused of cattle trade by the Bajrang Dal, they were stripped naked, beaten and media photographers were called to cover the event," Gauri recited.
There have been other incidents too when senior journalists have been arrested, a lawsuit has been slapped against a news channel, a BJP MLA's wife committed suicide under a haze of speculation and minority institutions have been vandalised.
An angry Nesargi shouted saying, "This is all untrue. It was Mr Vajpayee who was the biggest protector of minorities. He went to Pakistan when he was prime minister to improve relations. It is Mr Yedyurappa who is giving so much to minorities and no other government has done so much for them. Please check the records before saying these things."
"As far as the press is concerned, they have a responsibility to society," she said. Then she changed the topic saying that the forum was about moral policing, something she was against.
Madhu Kishtwar said that she thought it was a healthy sign that BJP leaders were disowning such condemnable acts. "I feel that the Congress government has behaved no better. They are equally responsible in not bringing these people to book."
She concluded by saying that these people were not upholders of any religion but were simply hoodlums and must be treated as such and given exemplary punishment.
FINAL SMS POLL: Are orthodox religious groups uncomfortable with the modern woman?
Yes: 87 per cent
No: 13 per cent
Modern women make culture cops sweat, insecure
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