Aamir Khan called for strict law and order and fast judicial action against molesters who assaulted women in Bengaluru during new year’s eve celebrations. The Dangal actor said, “The Bengaluru incident is saddening. We are hurt and ashamed that such a thing happened in our nation. We and every state government have to take the right steps and this should be a continuous process. There is no single solution to this problem.”
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Meanwhile, a war of words broke out on Twitter between actors Farhan Akhtar and Esha Gupta on one side and Farhan Azmi, son of MLA Abu Azmi, on the other, after Akhtar called Abu Azmi a “moron” for blaming women instead of the molesters while Esha Gupta said that the only woman who should be blamed was the one who gave birth to Abu Azmi.
The actors were taking issue with Abu Azmi’s remarks where he said the molestation was inevitable given that the women were wearing “short dresses” and “Western outfits”. “It was bound to happen. Woman call nudity fashion. They were wearing short dresses,” Azmi told a news agency. “As far as Bengaluru molestation is concerned, women and their guardians must also take precautions and think that security starts at home. Our women must think about their own security themselves.”
Rock On 2 star Farhan Akhtar had some sharp remarks to Azmi’s statements:
Women should not dress like westerners b'coz men dressed like westerners are molesters, says the man in the shirt.#oxy(deprived)morons
— Farhan Akhtar (@FarOutAkhtar) January 3, 2017
Akhtar is the founder of MARD (Men Against Rape and Discrimination) , an initiative that raises its voice against the violence women face everyday.
Esha Gupta and Farhan Azmi also waged a Twitter battle with a fiery exchange of words after Farhan responded to her comment by saying the woman she was blaming was his grandmother. The situation became ugly when Farhan retweeted a tweet that was trying to shame her for her onscreen outfits, which claimed (in an echo of Abu Azmi’s statements) that she might as well have been naked.
The only woman to blame here,n she probably would have blamed herself too,is the woman who unknowingly gave birth to a jerk like u#AbuAzmi
— Esha Gupta (@eshagupta2811) January 3, 2017
Esha, woman who gave birth to @abuasimazmi is my grandma,who is no longer amongst us to defend herself.She was far more dignified than U?? https://t.co/ZfxSdNpTOT
— Farhan Azmi (@abufarhanazmi) January 4, 2017
@eshagupta2811 you just look at in the mirror and say what NANGAPAN you gave to our society through films @abufarhanazmi @abuasimazmi
— Amit Prakash Singh (@amitprakash007) January 4, 2017
Farhan Azmi then went on to accuse Farhan Akhtar of doing nothing against even “a single rapist”.
Shame that you @FarOutAkhtar are the @UN_Women goodwill ambassador yet U found no words to demand action against a single rapist #hypocrite
— Farhan Azmi (@abufarhanazmi) January 4, 2017
Meanwhile, other celebrities chipped in with parodies of Azmi’s comments:
"The cheaper the politician, the more he costs his country.":) #AbuAzmi
— Anupam Kher (@AnupamPkher) January 4, 2017
The Liberation of Muslim Women,,#AbuAzmi #pmhotoaisa pic.twitter.com/gZpzbBqTQY
— Virender Sehwag? (@VirendraShwag) January 3, 2017
Azmi may not get away with just being ridiculed on social media however. Chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Swati Maliwal has now filed a complaint seeking an FIR against Azmi under Section 509 of the IPC for outraging the modesty of a woman. She had earlier tweeted:
Abu Azmi says to avoid rape, women shudn’t go out alone like in Saudi. Instead of making India Saudi, better Abu goes off 2 Saudi. No loss.
— Swati Maliwal (@SwatiJaiHind) January 3, 2017
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This is not the first time that Azmi has made national headlines and irked people with sexist comments. In 2014, Azmi had said “If any woman whether married or unmarried, goes along with a man, with or without her consent, should be hanged. Both should be hanged.”*
Bollywood actress Ayesha Takia Azmi (Wanted), who is married to Farhan Azmi, reacted to her father-in-law’s statements by saying that both she and her husband were embarrassed by Abu Azmi’s remarks. Farhan Azmi too had said they had tried to talk to Abu Azmi about not making such remarks in the past.
if wot im reading about my father in laws statements r true then me and Farhan are deeply embarrassed n ashamed…
— Ayesha Takia Azmi♡ (@Ayeshatakia) April 11, 2014
Scriptwriter Salim Khan, meanwhile, urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to immediately look into the molestation case, saying being young was no excuse for such behaviour.
Its a shame what the youth have done in Bngluru.Such acts are happning rptdly all ovr.We were also young once bt nvr have such things happnd
— Salim Khan (@luvsalimkhan) January 3, 2017
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Abu Azmi has now tried to explain his comments by saying they had been taken out of context.
I strongly codemn the Banglore Incident.I appeal to the media not to quote me out of context.My opinion is we should follow our culture.
— Abu Asim Azmi (@abuasimazmi) January 3, 2017
The damage control is perhaps too little, too late.
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