Protests are taking place in the country and abroad against the alleged gang rape of a female tourist and blogger from Spain in the eastern state of Jharkhand, India.
The embassies of Spain and Brazil have also reacted to the incident in New Delhi. The alleged victim of gang rape has citizenship of both Spain and Brazil.
This incident is also protesting on social media and the protection of women in India is being questioned.
It may be noted that a 28-year-old woman has alleged that she and her husband were in a tent in Jharkhand's Dumka district on Friday night when they were attacked and gang-raped by seven men.
The woman also said in her video post on Instagram that these men also assaulted her husband during this time.
In another video, her husband said the assailants hit her in the face with a helmet and hit her on the head with a stone, injuring her. But his partner's condition is far worse.
American journalist and writer David Joseph Wolodzko wrote in his social media post that some areas of India are unsafe for women to travel.
According to him, during his years of stay in India, he has not seen the situation of sexual assault that he has seen anywhere else.
It should be noted that in June 2022, a British woman was raped in front of her partner on the beach of Goa, which caused a lot of protest.
American journalist David Joseph wrote in his post on 'X' (formerly Twitter) that once he was traveling in a train that a strange woman pretending to be his girlfriend asked him to sleep on his bed. that a man who was following her on the train licked her feet and she felt insecure.
According to him, he loves India and it is a favorite country for him. But he advises his female friends not to travel to India alone. This is the real problem of Indian society which needs more attention.
Rekha Sharma, chairperson of India's National Commission for Women, has reacted strongly to Wolodzko's post, calling the issue of women's protection tantamount to defaming the country.
He asked the American journalist whether he ever reported to the police. If not, he is a completely irresponsible person.
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He said that defaming the country by writing on social media is not a good thing.
To this, the American journalist replied that instead of defaming India, he has tried to point out a flaw in this country. Otherwise they love India.
Many social media users, especially women, have expressed surprise at Rekha Sharma's reaction.
Sonakshi Chakraborty, a lecturer at Essos, says that India is not exactly a safe place for women. She believes that there is no single woman who has not experienced sexual harassment.
Film actress Richa Chadha wrote in her post that Rekha Sharma is more concerned about commenting on India than about incidents related to rape.
He also referred to the allegation of the central ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for sexually harassing female wrestlers.
On the other hand, Samina Shafiq, a former member of the National Commission for Women and an activist for women's rights, says that the data of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), which records crimes, is enough to show that in India Women are not safe. But the National Commission for Women itself is not ready to recognize it.
In a conversation with Voice of America, he said that until the Women's Commission recognizes the facts, there will be no solution to this problem.
He said that the government and the police are in denial mode. If foreign female tourists are not safe here, then who will be safe?
According to him, there are many laws regarding the protection of women. But despite this, the morale of criminals is high. According to him, this is because those people are not caught early and no strict action is taken against them.
He urged the government to sensitize the public through advertisements and tell people that if they commit crimes against women, they will be punished.
It should be noted that according to the latest data of NCRB, in the year 2022, about four and a half lakh cases of crimes against women took place. An FIR was registered every 51 minutes while 31,000 cases of sexual assault were reported. It is also a fact that many cases of rape go unreported.
Three out of seven accused in Jharkhand incident arrested: Police
Meanwhile, Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Sunday that it is sending its personnel to the scene and is in contact with the Indian administration.
According to the Brazilian Foreign Ministry, it is contacting the couple through its embassy and is concerned about the incident that happened to the couple.
The Brazilian embassy said in a statement that the victims received immediate medical attention and reported the incident to the police, which was immediately acted upon.
According to media reports, the embassies of both the countries are in touch with each other and are providing all possible help to the victims.
Meanwhile, the police have arrested three of the seven people. The men were produced in a court on Sunday where they were sent to judicial custody.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Pitambar Singh Kherwar said in a press conference that the said woman was subjected to a medical examination in which it was confirmed that she had been sexually assaulted. He said that the search is on for the remaining four persons involved in the incident.
According to him, the Jharkhand Police is in touch with the Embassy of Spain in New Delhi and all legal action is being taken in this matter. It will be decided later when the said couple will be allowed to leave India.
Apart from India, this incident is being reported in the foreign media and the question regarding the protection of women in India is also being raised.
The news agency 'Reuters' said with reference to NCRB data that in 2022, there were an average of 90 cases of rape per day.
The news agency 'AFP' said with reference to the Nirbhaya incident of 2012 that it was protested all over the world and only after that the law was changed to provide for the death penalty for the rapists.
It should be remembered that the culprits of the Nirbhaya case were hanged.
Qatari broadcasting organization 'Al Jazeera' says that sexual violence against women is common in India. He also referred to NCRB records and said that in the year 2022, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh had the highest incidence of crimes against women.