In a video that has gone viral on the internet, a group of girls in Gurugram, confronted a middle-aged woman after she allegedly shamed them for wearing short dresses at a restaurant.
“This middle aged woman you'll see in the video addressed seven men at the restaurant to rape us because she felt we deserved it for wearing short clothes and bashing her unsolicited opinion,” claimed Shivani Gupta on Facebook.
In the video posted on IGTV by Shivani Gupta on Tuesday, 30 April, the girls can be seen incessantly seeking an apology, while the woman in question stood her ground and refused to tender one.
The verbal spat ended with the woman facing the camera and saying, “Hello guys, this lady wants to wear short dresses to encourage all to see them. All the ladies wear (these) short dresses, or are naked... to (get) rape(d) (sic).”
The Quint travelled to Nukkadwala, the restaurant in JMD Megapolis mall in Gurugram, where the incident occurred to gauge what the people think of the rape culture in India.
Parul Malhotra, who is a neighbour of the woman who confronted the remarks, said a lot of people, especially men, shame women over several things. “I think it's more important that you let your son know how one should respect women,” she said. Parul also said if she ever encountered a similar situation, she would’ve supported the girls and confronted such remarks.
“We think that if it’s in the minds of men, they do it irrespective of the kind of dress one is wearing. If rapes occurred only due to short dresses, then beaches would see the highest incidence of rape,” a middle-aged woman said.
While most of the women said they would not be bystanders, but would confront such an attack, the men seemed to have a different opinion.
“I unanimously agree with most of the millennials that it was stupid of the lady to have accused these girls. But, honestly speaking, I would be a bystander. I wouldn't have the courage to go and get involved in it. Mainly because there have been a lot of cases against men for eve teasing and other issues. So nowadays, even I feel a bit insecure due to these stringent laws,” a man at the mall said.
Others echoed the thought that wearing short clothes does not define a girl. This is the age to be progressive and worry about better things, they said.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)