'Film exposes mindset of our society' Mar 08, 2015 - Nistha Grover Asha Singh and Badri Singh -- Pritam Bandyopadhyay
'Nothing has changed. Maybe that is why the government is not in favour of showing the documentary. A simple thing like respecting women is an alien concept to many. They still keep finding faults with girls, even when they get molested or raped.' On December 16, 2012, their daughter was brutally raped and murdered in a moving bus by six persons, one of them a juvenile. The juvenile is all set to be released in a year's time. On March 15, 2014, the Supreme Court of India stayed the execution of two of the four convicts to allow them to appeal against their conviction. Now a documentary, India's Daughter, shot by Leslee Udwin, has exposed the mindset of one of the criminals who, during an interview, not only shows no remorse but justifies his violent and gruesome act. As the Government of India moved to ban the documentary, Nistha Grover spoke with Nirbhaya's parents -- father Badri Singh and mother Asha, about the film and delayed justice. A debate is raging over the documentary, India's Daughter. What is your opinion? Badri Singh: ***There is nothing wrong with airing the documentary*** [emphasis added]. There are two ways to look at it. It exposes the mindset of our society. The documentary is a mirror to what is happening in our country and shows our country in a bad light. The facts and figures highlight our shortcomings. However, there is no problem in showing the documentary. We cannot run away from truth. (Mother cuts in) Asha Singh: We are not concerned with the documentary. If the government is banning it, it is their call. Our concern is, what is being done towards women safety. The debate around the documentary will die down in a few days. The real question is what reforms have been made by the authorities? Have you seen the documentary? Asha Singh: We have seen bits and parts of the documentary in news channels and heard about it from various people. We have a fair idea of the content. If the government allowed the interview of the accused then why are they not allowing the telecast of the interview? In the documentary, defence lawyers air their regressive views on women and the accused apparently tries to justify his crime... Asha Singh: We have heard the statements. It goes on to show that there is no change in the mindset of people in our country. Nothing has changed. It is shocking that the accused has shown no sign of remorse. He had the audacity to make such statements. But, unfortunately, he is not alone. A lot of people in our society share his views. Maybe this is why the film needs to be shown and people be made to understand that this mindset has to change. Even the defence lawyers tried to blame the victim... Asha Singh: I think if the government has to ban something it should act against such remarks and the lawyers who are making them. They are supposed to be educated. They are setting a bad precedent. Do you see any change after the Nirbhaya episode? Asha Singh: ***Nothing has changed. Maybe that is why the government is not in favour of showing the documentary.*** [Emphaasis added.] A simple thing like respecting women is an alien concept to many. They still keep finding faults with girls, even when they get molested or raped. Do you think justice is being delayed in Nirbhaya case? Asha Singh: The legal system, the judiciary need to see what's happening at their end. If there's speedy justice only then there's a possibility of things changing. In most cases justice is delayed. The lawyers keep postponing hearings. The Supreme Court of India stayed the execution of two of the four convicts... Asha Singh: I will never be at peace. My soul will never know any rest if those men who tormented my daughter are not hanged. Them being in jail watching television, justifying their crime while my daughter is gone is a mockery of justice. They need to be hanged. What are your expectations now? Asha Singh: We request the government that if they have decided on death penalty as punishment for the rapists then they should be hanged as soon as possible. If there's a delay, most of the time death penalty gets changed to life imprisonment. I really do not understand -- why this delay? If punishment has already been given, why is no action being taken? Why are you fighting over a documentary when the real issue of delivering justice is not being addressed? I do not understand. -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
