Women who go out at night have only themselves to blame in case they attract attention of male molesters," Mukesh Singh, driver of the bus in which the rape took place, said.
He recently gave an interview to British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) from jail which will be aired on March 8, which is also celebrated as International Women's Day.
Recounting the incident in which Nirbhaya was sexually assaulted and killed, Singh said, "While being raped, she shouldn't have fought back. She should have just remained silent and allowed the rape.
In the interview Singh said, "A decent girl won't roam around at 9 o'clock at night. A girl is far more responsible for rape than a boy is. Boys and girls are not equal. Housework and housekeeping is for girls, not roaming in discos and bars at night or wearing wrong clothes. About 20% of girls are good."
He also claims that his execution will make life more dangerous for future rape victims.
Clockwise from top left: Akshay Thakur, Vinay Sharma, Pawan Gupta and Mukesh Singh. They were found guilty for the gang rape and murder of Nirbhaya and sentenced to death. The fifth accused adult Ram Singh was found hanging in his cell in Tihar Jail. The sixth accused was found to be a juvenile and found guilty by the juvenile justice board and sent to a juvenile correctional facility for about three years.
Talking about the death penalty he said, "The death penalty will make things even more dangerous for girls. Now, when men rape, they will not leave the girl like we did. They will kill her after that.
Speaking about the appalling attack, which he refers to as "an accident", Singh suggested the rape and beatings were to teach the young woman and her friend a lesson that they should not have been out late at night.
The Nirbhaya gang rape, which took place on December 16, 2012, led to an outburst across the country after which India was globally criticized for its women security.
The interview appears in 'India's Daughter', a BBC Storyville documentary by British filmmaker Leslee Udwin which tells the story of the brutal gang rape and murder of 23-year-old physiotherapy student on a moving bus in Delhi that caused global outrage.
"Whenever there's a crime, the girl is blamed. Boys should be accused and asked why they do this," Nirbhaya's mother is seen saying in the documentary.
Students take part in a candle-light vigil commemorating the December 2012 fatal gang rape of Nirbhaya in New Delhi (TOI photo by Yogesh Kumar)
Nirbhaya's father says, "She has become a symbol. Her death has posed a question " What is the meaning of 'woman'? How is she looked upon by society today?"
Director-producer Leslee Udwin decided to make this documentary after he saw this news on TV screens.
"When news of this gang rape hit our TV screens in December 2012, I was as shocked and upset as we all are when faced with such brazen abandon of the norms of 'civilized' society. But what actually inspired me to commit to the harrowing and difficult journey of making this film was the optimism occasioned by the reports that followed the rape. Courageous and impassioned ordinary men and women of India braved the December freeze to protest in unprecedented numbers, withstanding an onslaught of teargas shells, lathi charges and water canons, to make their cry of 'enough is enough' heard. In this regard, India led the world by example. In my lifetime, I can't recall any other country standing up with such commitment and determination for women's rights," he said.
The Nirbhaya gang rape has affected the cultural society as well.
The world's most prestigious arts festival, Edinburgh Fringe festival, saw the launch of playwright and director Yael Farber's play "Nirbhaya" which was subsequently performed at London's prestigious Southbank Centre.
The testimonial work followed five women on stage who share their story of sexual violence which they faced as a child or an adult.
Speaking to TOI, Farber had said, "rape is a common ill across the world and in India. But rape of Nirbhaya had the extraordinary power to perforate the shield we hide behind."
Nirbhaya also received prominent mention in Britain's Human Rights and Democracy Report released by former British foreign secretary William Hague. The report used the rape as a case study to access state of women in India. UK's foreign and commonwealth office said, "the rape brought women's rights sharply into focus."
Tom Kennedy, deputy head of human rights and democracy at UK's foreign and commonwealth office told TOI: "India isn't a country of concern as regards to human rights violation. But rape of the female student had a global resonance and hence we decided to flag it in the report."
If you post this pic in BW forum...they will say ksg new luv interest...😆
Seher Hone Ko Hai
Cricket
