“Nirbhaya-Fearless”

Here’s why the documentary shouldn't have been banned:

(CNN)India's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has told all news channels not to air a controversial documentary about rape in India -- warning that the excerpts "appear to encourage and incite violence against women."

An Indian court restricted the publication and airing of the film in India as well as the dissemination of excerpts from it after Mukesh Singh's comments were released in several media outlets. He appeared to show no remorse and blamed the rape victim for being out at night, according to the documentary called "India's Daughter."Mukesh Singh told the documentary crew that his victim "should just be silent and allow the rape.

A decent girl won't roam around at 9 o'clock at night," he told the BBC. "A girl is far more responsible for rape than a boy. Boy and girl are not equal. Housework and housekeeping is for girls, not roaming in discos and bars at night doing wrong things, wearing wrong clothes."He suggested that they "had a right to teach them a lesson."

In December 2012, a young woman was savagely attacked and raped by a group of men aboard a public bus in New Delhi and later died from her injuries. Mukesh Singh, who was driving the bus, is now on death row and has filed an appeal.

His comments in the documentary have stirred fierce debate about whether airing his interview gives him a platform to share his misogyny, versus those who say it increases awareness and understanding of the horror of rape.

The documentary's director, Leslee Udwin, wrote that she was "deeply saddened" by attempts to silence the film."India should be embracing this film -- not blocking it with a knee-jerk hysteria without even seeing it. This was an opportunity for India to continue to show the world how much has changed since this heinous crime," she wrote for India's NDTV.

Banning this documentary on the grounds that the content bears ‘malicious, offensive, and outrageous remarks against women’ is legit, except that it really isn’t, because it merely portrays the harsh reality of women in India, all thanks to years of oppression and overwhelming patriarchy that exists till date with TV shows like Savadhan India, Crime Patrol, etc that put forward similar content every single day.

Numerous people are of the opinion that the documentary should not be banned. While there are so many of us who are educated and even well off, it’s shocking how a lot of us are still so incredibly  narrow minded when it comes to knowing what a woman’s place is in our society. 
A nation where Goddesses are worshipped just as staunchly as a woman is treated like she’s a nobody.

SAGARIKA DEV
Msc.Media || PG:1