Headlines
Activists oppose ban on 'India's Daughter'
Women activists on Thursday strongly opposed the blanket ban on a BBC
documentary titled "India's Daughter" on the December 16, 2012 gang rape
of a young woman in Delhi, arguing that the "knee-jerk" reaction
constitutes an attack on freedom of expression.
"I have seen the
documentary. It is powerful and moving. It does not sensationalize
anything," CPI-M politburo member and women's rights activist Brinda
Karat told IANS.
"This is the fourth time that the government has banned a documentary without viewing it," she said.
The All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) in a statement said it opposes the blanket ban on the documentary.
"This
is a knee jerk reaction that constitutes an attack on the freedom of
expression. Furthermore, the film reveals the reality of the brutality
of rape without sensationalising it," it said.
AIDWA further said
that the correct course of action for the government is to file an FIR
and take prompt action against the defence lawyers in the case for
making hateful and derogatory speeches and inciting violence against
women in the BBC documentary and on national television.
"Instead
of needlessly banning films in an undemocratic fashion, the government
would do better to pro-actively pursue the pending case in the Supreme
Court, where shockingly even such a high profile case has gone unheard
even once for over a year," it said.
Activist Kamala Bhasin said: "We are never for bans. That doesn't help anything."
She
said that the December 16, 2012 incident had invited global attention
and it was important to note that "rape is a global phenomenon".
"Rape is global. It is not an Indian invention," she said.
The
documentary had caused an uproar in India with the government banning
its telecast in all formats. The government had also said that it will
take steps to see that the documentary was not telecast outside India.
Writer
Chetan Bhagat tweeted: "India's Daughter is a must watch. Anyone who
watches will understand devastation caused by regressive attitudes. Face
it. Fix it."
Brushing aside Indian protests, the BBC on Thursday
telecast the documentary on the gang rape, "given the intense level of
interest" in it.
The hour-long documentary was then uploaded on YouTube by an individual, effectively making it available to a global audience.