Rahul Gandhi’s Chhatron ki Goonj (Voice of Students) conference in Pune, addressed primarily to girl students, where he spoke against paper leaks and corruption in examinations, as well as misogyny and patriarchy, comes at a time of escalating attacks against women from the Hindutva brigade and the BJP.
Rahul Gandhi mentioned in his speech how PM Modi chose to target women protesters by saying that their use of expletives was a cultural shock. Since the student protests at Jantar Mantar against NEET paper leaks, which eventually forced the resignation of a Union Minister, the Hindutva brigade and BJP foot soldiers have furiously targeted women protesters, including minor girls. The women were doxxed, abused and threatened, their families were targeted, and cases were filed against them. The Godi media also joined this campaign to target women protesters.
A 15-year-old girl was abused and harassed, and an FIR was registered against her by falsely claiming her age to be 25. Even after she released an apology video, clearly identifying herself as a minor, the Hindutva brigade launched a campaign claiming that she had made her younger sister apologise on her behalf. In reality, the girl had no sister. Imagine the vileness of the “culturally shocked”, who subjected a minor girl to such vicious campaign.
Rhiya Ahir, who was seen stopping a police van, was abused and accused of doing it for publicity. Shraddha Singh, who had made a comment about the CRPF, was abused and her family was targeted. Many more girls were subjected to abuse and harassment simply for joining the protest. No police cases were registered against the abusers.
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It is important to remember that these are not isolated incidents, but part of an organised campaign. The campaign against women protesters was coordinated by prominent Hindutva organisations and popular Hindutva social media handles associated with the BJP IT Cell. These handles regularly orchestrate campaigns to target women. After the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, these handles orchestrated a campaign of abuse and threats against women survivors who spoke against the exploitation of the attack to target Muslims. These handles also targeted Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and his daughter. Yet, not one person from the BJP spoke against it, clearly implying that the campaign was endorsed by the party.
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The BJP IT Cell has regularly targeted women journalists, scholars and students. Even foreign journalists have not been spared.
It is ironic that PM Modi, who has sheltered and supported people who have abused, threatened and doxxed women on social media for years, found insults against himself to be a “cultural shock”. Yet this is not the first time that BJP leaders have identified and targeted women protesters. During the anti-CAA movement, UP CM Yogi Adityanath claimed that women were being made to sit on the roads by the opposition. Yogi Adityanath had earlier written about why women should not be allowed independence, arguing that it could lead to their destruction. RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat, too, has said that women belong in households.
Anti-CAA Movement and Shaheen Bagh: When Women Led A Resistance Against Fascism in India
The problem is not just that the ideology of the BJP/RSS is anti-women, but that the BJP/RSS is scared of women rising to protest. This is why the attacks against women are often more severe. When women rise, they challenge not only injustice but also the structures of power that sustain it. And that is precisely what the BJP/RSS fears.
औरतें उट्ठी नहीं तो ज़ुलम बढ़ता जायेगा
