At the height of #MeToo movement, when allegations of sexual abuse were levelled against the men in the media and entertainment industry, including a BJP minister, the crusaders of women’s rights held the men guilty and believed the women who had put up the allegations. This even when most of the women had no proof. And rightly so. Many times, mostly men are in such position of power that sexual abuse takes place and women are quite often the victims.
So people across political ideologies believed ‘her’. The women who were levelling the allegations. There were some who defended the accused, but most women showed solidarity with the victims. Those who were defending the accused were shamed by the ‘feminists’ into ‘believing her’.
Except now when the film industry’s blue-eyed boy, Anurag Kashyap is accused of sexual assault, it has suddenly made out to be ‘vendetta’ and a ‘propaganda’ by the BJP because Kashyap hates PM Modi. As if of all the haters PM Modi has, and he has way too many as can be seen, he has time and energy to concentrate on only this one fellow. There are people who take themselves too seriously and then there are Anurag Kashyaps who think PM Modi’s world revolves around him.
And then there has been a concentrated effort by his allies to vilify the victim. Under normal circumstances, law must take its course but for Kashyap, he became the ‘biggest’ feminist and the actress who had levelled allegations against him became a ‘small time actress‘. And hence, how can a ‘feminist’ sexually assault someone? Well, they very well can and Left will always side with one of their own.
Months after the brutal rape and murder case in Kathua, a JNU student had alleged that the lawyer who had shot to prominence for defending the victim had sexually assaulted her. The student had alleged that all the while when the lawyer was forcing himself on her, he was saying that he will do ‘Nikaah’ with her. She had said she did not speak up about the abuse due to apprehensions that such shocking revelations about a ‘hero’ could jeopardise the Kathua child rape-and-murder case. So you see, she stayed quiet for the ‘greater good’. Here one can see even the victim of sexual abuse siding with her abuser.
In the current case, the same women, who were at the forefront of #BelieveHer, meaning that no matter how mighty and powerful the accused is, believe the woman if she says she has been sexually abused, are now questioning the victim.
Some even have the way Payal Ghosh decided to come out with her allegations.
Suddenly whatever Ghosh has said has become ‘baseless’ about the other women. The Asian Age Editor, Suparna Sharma, even has a rulebook on how a victim must list out her abuse.…I have a problem when, in her video statement, #PayalGhosh herself assaults and maligns 3 other women… When, in her narration of the incident, she states a few baseless things abt @RichaChadha @MahieGillOnline #HumaQureshi as if they were facts…
— Suparna Sharma (@SuparnaSharma) September 20, 2020
While talking of her sexual assault in her video statement, #PayalGhosh's focus seems to be a lot on
— Suparna Sharma (@SuparnaSharma) September 20, 2020
* projecting herself as a woman of greater morals than other women who have worked with @anuragkashyap,
* and tarnishing their hard-earned reputations…
If on odd days Sharma dishes out instructions on how to narrate your sexual assault incident, on even days, she would be telling women how their pain is their own and don’t let anyone dictate you how you should feel about it.
Another Indian Express journalist also went on similar tirade. Telling a woman how to make revelations regarding her trauma.
And they would even question the ‘timing’Why did this woman need to drag the names of three other women and character assassinate them to prove that she was sexually assaulted? Even by keeping their names out, AK's alleged harassment would have been as clear. (3/6)
— Anya Shankar (@AnyaShankar) September 20, 2020
Because why did she choose to accuse Kashyap of sexual assault when Rahu and Ketu are in transit? Couldn’t she wait till Shani was in retrograde?Of course nobody should be given a clean chit without probe, and especially not because they espouse progressive values. But using our critical faculties is also desirable and necessary. (6/6)
— Anya Shankar (@AnyaShankar) September 20, 2020
They will support the ‘movement’ but there will always be a ‘but’.
+1
— taapsee pannu (@taapsee) September 20, 2020
This power of calling out n being heard has come to us after years of struggle n suppression. But with great power comes greater responsibility. Misusing it , will send us years back into being ignored n over run. https://t.co/wvXmz68bok
How is Ghosh’s allegations ‘misuse of power’ of calling out sexual abuse when there is no investigation? Or it becomes ‘misuse of power’ only when your friend is accused of assault? Or it becomes a ‘weapon’?
All sexual violence is unacceptable & allegations shud be probed as per due process of law. Hard though to take the outrage of Kathua-child-gangrape-defenders & Sengar & Chinmayanand defenders seriously. Clear u don't care abt sexual violence only weaponising it for ur own agenda
— Swara Bhasker (@ReallySwara) September 20, 2020
How does one wrong make the other wrong right? And then there are personal guarantors. Like this filmmaker who decided that since he knows Kashyap from more than two decades, how can he be a sexual abuser.
2/ i take accusations of sexual harassment seriously and when i heard this young woman accuse anurag i was extremely disturbed. he is a friend, like a younger sibling and somebody who has been with me through some rough times. he can be brash. he can be stupid.
— Hansal Mehta (@mehtahansal) September 20, 2020
Such kind of defence always comes with a disclaimer that ‘I am all for believing the women’, except the one who accuses my friend. He explained how the sexual abuse accusations are because Kashyap was targeting PM Modi.
4/ this happening at a time when anurag often against advice has been outspoken and provided a contrarian view on things happening around us. is he making some people uncomfortable? there are so many questions and they are not necessarily about the allegations leveled against AK.
— Hansal Mehta (@mehtahansal) September 20, 2020
Speaking of people targeting PM Modi and being accused of sexual harassment, remember Tarun Tejpal? Tehelka founder? How Tejpal went hammer and tongs after then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi after the Godhra carnage and the riots that followed? You know it was a journalist who accused Tejpal of molesting her? And while most believed her, you know who didn’t?
