Thanks to Bollywood for raising its voice to demand justice for Kathua, Unnao rape victims
When the political class has ashamed us by maintaining a stoic silence till Thursday over the horrendous rapes of two minors in Jammu and Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh, Bollywood needs a special mention for speaking against crimes against women/girls without mincing any words.
India's Hindi film industry stood united to demand justice for an 8-year-old girl from Jammu's Kathua, who was kidnapped, drugged, gang-raped and killed by eight men in January to instill fear in people belonging to the nomadic Bakerwal Muslim community, and 16-year-old teenager from Uttar Pradesh's Unnao, who was allegedly raped last year by BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar.
Bollywood lending its voice to demand justice for the victims holds a lot of weight as film personalities are powerful and influential people in the country. When film stars speak, the nation listens to them. Their support for justice for Kathua and Unnao rape victims will surely jolt the establishment to book the culprits at the earliest.
The details pertaining to both the cases have shocked the entire nation as protest marches have been held to demand exemplary punishment for the accused in both the cases.
Celebrities such as Farhan Akhtar, Shraddha Kapoor, Javed Akhtar, Sonam Kapoor Abhishek Bachchan, Swara Bhasker and Hansal Mehta, among others took to social media to condemn the two brutal incidents. After large-scale condemnation, Maneka Gandhi, the Union women and child development minister, on Friday finally broke her silence and said that her ministry would move a cabinet note on Monday to amend the Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences (POSCO) Act to ensure death penalty for those who rape minors.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi was also silent before he was nudged on social media to break his maun vrat (vow of silence) too. On Thursday, Rahul tweeted and lead a midnight candlelight march to protest crimes against women in the national capital.
Here are some tweets from Bollywood personalities:
Imagine what goes through the mind of an 8 yr old as she is drugged, held captive, gang raped over days and then murdered.
— Farhan Akhtar (@FarOutAkhtar) April 12, 2018
If you don’t feel her terror, you are not human.
If you don’t demand Asifa get justice, you belong to nothing.
I am Hindustan. I am Ashamed. #JusticeForOurChild #JusticeForAasifa
— Swara Bhasker (@ReallySwara) April 13, 2018
8 years old. Gangraped. Murdered.
In ‘Devi’-sthaan temple. #Kathua and lest we forget #unnao Shame on us! #BreakTheSilence#EndTheComplicity #ActNowpic.twitter.com/O8rABOrZq9
Ashamed appalled and disgusted by fake nationals and fake Hindus. I cannot believe this is happening in my country. https://t.co/V8tKoo6viX
— Sonam Kapoor (@sonamakapoor) April 12, 2018
All those who wish justice for women should stand up and raise their voices against the rapists and their protectors in Unnao and Kathua .
— Javed Akhtar (@Javedakhtarjadu) April 11, 2018
How many more children like baby Asifa will be sacrificed at the intersect of religion & politics? How many more children will have to suffer unimaginable crimes before we wake up? I’m disgusted. It’s time for swift action. We owe it to Asifa and to humanity. #justiceforAsifa.
— PRIYANKA (@priyankachopra) April 12, 2018