Citizens, women activists, transpersons issue statement urging the government and the National Commission of Women to take action against defamatory speech about women of Kashmir by BJP members
We, the undersigned are citizens of India with a strong belief in the Constitution of the country. We write to express our shock and outrage at the kinds of statements that are being made about Kashmiri women, particularly by men in positions of power, who are affiliated to the ruling party and who are using the power this gives them to flout the Constitution and the dignity of the women of Kashmir, and indeed all women, with impunity.
On Monday 5 August, hours after the Raj Sabha statement on Kashmir the MLA from Khatauli, Muzzafarnagar, Vikram Singh Saini, remarked that revoking the separate status of Kashmir would enable his cadre as well as Muslims of India marry fair Kashmiri girls.
On Friday 9 August, the BJP Chief Minister of Haryana, Manoharlal Khattar, commenting on the adverse sex ratio in Haryana in a public speech said that “Our minister Dhankhar Ji used to say that we will have to bring daughters-in-law from Bihar if the number of girls reduces and the number of boys increases. Now people say that since Kashmir is open, we can bring girls from there. Jokes apart, if there is a good (sex) ratio, the balance in the society will be set right.” We wish to remind the Shri Khattar that this is no joking matter: his statement is insulting and defamatory.
The women of Kashmir are and have always been strong and vocal and they are not voiceless. At this moment, with the abrogation of 370 and 35A, when the lives of Kashmiris in Kashmir are caught in a limbo, without rights, connectivity, information, access, it is incumbent on us to stand in solidarity with them and not objectify them or turn them into victims.
We demand the ruling party take action against its members who have made such defamatory statements about Kashmiri women. We urge the National Commission for Women to carry through its promise, made on 10 August, to “demand an explanation” and further, to take strong action.
We stand in solidarity with our sisters in Kashmir.
Roshmi Goswami, Shillong
Bittu K
Vandana Mahajan
Deepa, Delhi
Amrita Chachi, Delhi
Shipra Nigam
Soma K P
Vineeta Bal, Pune
Jhuma Sen, Jindal Global Law School
Dimple Oberoi Vahali
Adv. Kamayani Bali Mahabal
Amrita Shodhan, Hong Kong
Manjula Pradeep, Ahmedabad
Abha Bhaiya
Madhu Mehra
Sheba George
Anandhi S., Madras Institute of Development Studies, Chennai
Sandhya Phadke
Vibhuti Patel
Vanita Mukherjee
Karuna, D. W. Chennai
Priti Darooka
Anuradha
Arundhati Dhuru, NAPM
Anita Ghai
Preeti Mehra, Journalist, Delhi
Kiran Shaheen
Nisha Biswas
Vandana Kulkarni, Pune
Veena Shatrugna
Govind Kelkar
Purwa, Delhi
Kavita Srivatsava, PUCL
Bebaak Collective
Swatija Paranjape
Renuka Mishra
Vimala Ramachandran
Pamela Philipose
Saswati Ghosh
Seema Kulkarni
Jaya Sharma
Rita Manchanda
Geeta Ramaseshan
Lata Singh, JNU
Neeraj Malik
Mini Mathew, Adv.
Uma Bhatt
Atreyi Dasgupta, Research Scientist
Malika Virdi
Rachana Johri
Padma Velaskar
Sarojini N.
Lalita Ramdas
Dr Mira Shiva
Pranika Koyu
Maya, Kerala
Purnima, Delhi
Saheli Women
Chhaya Dayar
Sheba Chachi
Radhika Khajuria
Ritu Dewan
Noella de Souza
Brinelle de Souza
Poonam Kathuria
Astrid Lobo
Tarangini Sriram
Ranu Jain, Mumbai
Kochurani Abraham, Indian Christian Women’s Movement (ICWM), Kerala