GUWAHATI, Dec 31(agencies) : Booker Prize winner, noted writer and social activist Arundhati Roy said that rape is like an entertainment of sort for some people of the country and rape is also considered as an entertainment material in Indian cinema. While taking part in an interaction program at the North East Book Fair which started here on Sunday, Roy said, “Since my childhood, I have been watching Tamil movies in which rape scenes are common. People enjoy watching these scenes and the directors also know the pulse of the people. For many people, rape is an entertainment.”
“Rape takes place for different reasons. The persons behind Delhi girl rape have pathological problems which sometimes trigger criminal behaviour. But motives behind maximum of rape cases in conflict areas like Jammu & Kashmir and Manipur are different. In these States, the Indian army and the police are using rape as a weapon of domination.”
“In North India, rape is used as means of domination by the upper caste and it is not even punished,” she said, adding, “Rape is seen as a matter of feudal entitlement in many parts of India.” Roy further said that security forces often rape women in Jammu & Kashmir and Manipur by talking the advantage of the draconian Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA). “Despite being well aware of the problem, the government is not doing anything to repeal AFSPA from the conflict ridden States. In the name of crushing Maoist movement, the government is planning to enforce AFSPA in Chattisgarh,” she said.
The noted author expressed her surprise over the fact that when rape cases taken place, people belonging to the middle class come out for protests. “People from rich class and poor class are rarely seen in such protests in our country,” she added.