Arundhati Roy says 'We are living in an India where women are justifying rapes'

Thrissur: Arundhati Roy, a well-known author and activist, has expressed alarm about the rising tensions in Manipur and compared what is happening there to an act of ethnic cleansing. She emphasised the perceived complicity of the Union government, the partiality of the state, and the divide within the security forces during her speech at the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Hall in Thrissur.

Roy was in the city to receive the Navamalayali Cultural Prize awarded by Navamalayali Magazine. She made note in her speech that the Manipur crisis was not an isolated episode because its effects could be seen in other places, such as Haryana. She emphasised that there was currently unrest and instability occurring in various parts of the nation, The News Minute reported.

Roy highlighted her concern about the normalisation of rape and the horrifying support some women were giving to such atrocities in response to the worrisome increase in incidences of sexual violence. She stressed that this pattern was representative of a wider, troubling societal trend and was not limited to Manipur.

“Rape has been used as a tool of violence. Today, we are in a situation where women are justifying rapes. Where women are telling men to rape other women. Not the case of only Manipur. Irrespective of who is raping who, women stand for that community. This means we have gone psychotic. Today, we have a situation where the police are handing over women to a mob to be raped. Something has gone wrong,” she said.

Roy voiced great concern about how power and authority are being abused around the nation. She cited examples of people charged with serious offences leading religious processions or instigating violence without receiving the proper punishment.

“In Haryana, people who are accused of burning two Muslim men alive, are leading religious processions. A railway protection officer shooting Muslims saying you must vote for Modi. The man has actually absorbed the propaganda going on in the country,” she added.

In describing the deteriorating situation of the nation, Roy emphasised how Delhi has become a fear-filled culture, saying that mobs assemble over even slight provocations. She emphasised the dangers minorities, particularly Muslims, face and the rising unease brought on by the intolerance-filled environment.

“It’s a different phase altogether. I live in Delhi, I am so scared on the road, one little thing happens, and fifty men with their orange scarfs will come. They’ll know who I am. Imagine if you are a Muslim, you might have a parking problem that can end in your death, in your lynching. This is the country that we are living in now. It’s a shame that we are not saying anything,” she added.

Roy also attacked the government's apparent lack of priority, citing instances in which important concerns were overshadowed by unimportant ones. She used the Prime Minister's tweeting about his dinner while serious events were happening all around the nation as an example.

Roy urged the people of Kerala to understand the upcoming difficulties and issued a warning that the problems weren't limited to just one area and were progressively getting worse. She stressed Kerala's distinct political consciousness and intellectual development and urged the state to actively participate in resolving the situation.

Roy suggested that Kerala send a study team to Manipur in order to analyse the situation there and provide help.

"Kerala, which can be described as a miracle in terms of political consciousness and intellectual growth, has more responsibilities at hand. Kerala should send a study team to Manipur and provide help. If you don't do anything now, your future generations will be ashamed of you," Roy said.