New Delhi: During a ceremony in Bengaluru to hand out Nirbhaya awards, a former MP and ex-Karnataka DGP lauded the “good physique” of Nirbhaya’s mother Asha Devi.
HT Sangliyana, a highly decorated former MP and retired DGP and IGP of Karnataka, insensitively said: “I see Nirbhaya’s mother, she has such a good physique. I can just imagine how beautiful Nirbhaya would have been.”
Nirbhaya’s parents Asha Devi and Badrinath Singh were present when the remark was made.
It is still not clear if Nirbhaya's parents could hear Sangliana's speech clearly.
Anita Cheria, who was awarded at the function, contemplated leaving soon after the comment in protest, but stayed back out of respect for Nirbhaya's parents, reported Bangalore Mirror.
In her acceptance speech, Cheria made her disapproval of Sangaliana’s comment known.
“When top government officials, from the police, seemingly well-meaning, think it appropriate to comment, appreciating a woman's good physique, we, as a society, have long way to go to change mindsets and bring any measurable lasting change in favour of women," she said.
Sangliyana did not stop there. He also gave some disturbing safety tips to women when he said that they “should surrender when overpowered” and “follow up the case later to prevent being killed”.
A journalist who attended the event tweeted his advice.
At Nirbhaya Award function, Sangliana, retd IGP says 'If you r overpowered u shd surrender, n follow up case later to prevent being killed.— Susheela Nair (@NairSusheela) March 9, 2018
Following Sangliana's comment, some the guests at the event left in protest.
Nirbhaya was gruesomely beaten, gang-raped and tortured in a moving bus by six attackers, including a juvenile, on 16 December, 2012 when she was travelling with a friend in New Delhi.
The attackers had brutalised Singh with an iron rod and her intestines were pulled out. She succumbed to her injuries 13 days later at a Singapore hospital.
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