Senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader and Uttar Pradesh Minister for Handicapped Welfare Ambika Chaudhary has put a question mark on rape complaints saying women are becoming ‘victims’ to get government compensation.
“There have been reports that the women are turning rape victims for government compensation,” Chaudhary said.
“They (women) think that they will get Rs 20,000-25,000 in compensation if they turn rape victims.....but it is not good for them,” the minister said while speaking at a seminar. Incidentally, the theme of the seminar was “Freedom for Women from Violence”.
He said that the rapes “would not stop only by enacting laws”. “In fact there was an increase of ten per cent rape cases after the provision for capital punishment in rape cases,” he added.
The minister also claimed that many families of rape victims had approached him with the request to prevent the police from registering the FIR as it would bring bad name to them.
Chaudhary rejected an assertion that the situation would change if women were appointed on important posts.
The minister’s remarks shocked many participants, who included a large number of women from different parts of the country.
“It is a highly irresponsible statement...it is impossible to think that the parents will allow their daughters to risk disrepute in society for a few thousand rupees,” quipped a woman participant.
Some activists also said that the police were bound to register a case if there had been a violation of law.
“No one can prevent the police from registering the case if a crime has been committed,” said an activist. It is not the first time that an SP leader had made such remarks.
SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav had a few months back virtually defended rapes saying that the boys “sometimes make mistakes”.
“Should we hang them (boys) for this (rape),” Mulayam had said at an election meeting. A few days back, another UP minister Ram Gobind Chaudhary had also said that the government could not prevent rapes.
“The rapists are from the public and so the people will themselves have to check such cases,” he said.
