In a case of victim-blaming after an alleged gang rape, Karnataka’s new home minister G Parameshwara just distinguished himself by putting the onus on the woman for venturing out at night.
Hours after two private security guards at Bengaluru’s Cubbon Park were arrested for allegedly raping a 30-year-old woman, Parameshwara, who recently replaced former home minister KJ George, asked the reporters why a woman should go to play tennis at 9:30 in the night.
The woman, who had gone to get a membership at Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association, was allegedly raped by two security guards at the park at 10pm. A case of rape has been registered against the two guards.
In less than a month, this is the third instance in Karnataka when a politician has passed controversial statements on rape.
On October 17, when a reporter asked what the opposition party was doing to push Congress to control rape cases, a senior BJP leader Eshwarappa asked, "You are here. If someone takes you and rapes you, what is the opposition supposed to do? Tell me?”
On October 8, speaking on a case where a 22-year-old BPO employee was raped in a tempo-traveller, then home minister KJ George had quibbled over semantics.
He had said, “How is it a gang rape if two people rape? Shouldn’t there be at least three or four people for it to be called gang rape?”