The nation is still reeling from the shock of the horrifying details being revealed each day from the Shraddha Walker murder case in Delhi. Social media is full of posts demanding justice for her by ordering the strictest punishment for her killer Aaftab Amin Poonawala. We are still processing all these bits of information and then, we hear Union Minister Kaushal Kishor, blaming Shraddha Walker for her death! Yes, he said on live television that ‘educated girls’ like her are falling into the trap of live-in relationships, and hence, are responsible for what happens to them during this period.
His comment has caused a huge uproar on social media as people are shocked over how he could find ways to victim-shame a deceased person after such a gruesome crime was committed against her. Aaftab chopped Shraddha’s body into 35 pieces and stored them in a refrigerator. And Mr Kaushal Kishor, the Minister Of State for the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has chosen to blame Shraddha herself for what happened to her. He went on to say that girls should choose to get married first and then go ahead to live with their partners. Kishor also blamed live-in marriages for the rising crimes against women. Umm… no, I don’t see the point of it. As if married women are not getting abused or murdered by their husbands.
Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi went on Twitter to slam Kaushal Kishor for his ignorant remarks, and wrote, “Surprised he didn’t say girls are responsible for being born into this nation. Shameless, heartless and cruel, blame-the-woman-for-all problems mentality continues to thrive.”
Twitter users agreed with Priyanka Chaturvedi and said that what Kaushal Kishor said is quite regressive. One of them said, “Not one word about the guy who carried out this heinous act but girls must not stay in live-ins. Wow.” Very rightly as this Twitter user pointed out, Kaushal Kishor says it is quite right for men to go about killing and it is the women who are supposed to keep looking out for their safety.
It is really surprising how Smriti Irani, the Minister of Women and Child Development of India, who is always ready with blazing guns to blast every time the Opposition party has something offensive to say, is quite surprisingly quiet about her own party minister’s baffling comments.
Also read: Union Minister Says Educated Women Like Shraddha Walker In Live-In Relationships Responsible For Crime Rate. Sir, Your Ignorance Is Shocking!
As they say, every action has an equal and opposite reaction, there were people who also were agreeing with Kaushal Kishor’s comments.
It is quite shocking to see how the ministers governing this country have always victim-blamed and victim-shamed every time there is a crime against a woman instead of holding the perpetrator responsible. It is views such as these that misguide the older generation and promotes regressive thoughts. Also, it is high time that lawmakers and ministers stop blaming women for the crimes that are happening against them. Shraddha was not asking Aafatb to kill her. It was NOT her fault that she trusted the wrong man. Aaftab losing his cool and murdering her in a fit of rage is entirely his doing.