The State Vs Women

The unchecked endorsement of toxic masculinity, upper caste hegemony and Islamophobia is extremely dangerous for women standing at the various intersections of gender, caste and religion

In Kathua, a group of Hindu men decided to ‘teach a lesson’ to the nomadic Muslim community of Bakarwals, by raping and murdering an eight-year-old girl. In Unnao, a 17-year-old girl has accused BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Senghar and his men of rape, and her father has died in custody. In 2018, it seems pointless to look back at December 2012 as a remarkable event in the history of women’s struggle. The young and naïve like me had thought that the women shouting on the streets would grab spring by the ear and drag it in. Today, I’m preparing for a really long winter. It is not new to see our elected government openly accepting of patriarchal violence. The Prime Minister follows and affords private audience to men who tweet rape threats and misogynist slurs at women. Uttar Pradesh is governed by a Hindu religious leader who has been recorded on video leading a crowd of men to cheer hateful and misogynist remarks, “agar woh ek Hindu balikaa le jayenge to hum sau musalman balikaayein le aayenge.” The unchecked misogyny of these elected officials in the country sends out a clear message—this is what normal looks like.

THE ARSENAL