Nirbhaya’s mother slams DGP of Karnataka Police Sangliana in open letter

BENGALURU: The mother of Delhi 2012 gang rape victim Jyoti Singh Pandey (aka Nirbhaya) has responded to former DGP of Karnataka Police H T Sangliana’s recent comments about her physique via an open letter. Sangliana made controversial comments at a Women’s Day event on March 9 to honour women achievers. Nirbhaya’s mother Asha Devi was a special guest. Sangliana had advised women to ‘surrender’ while facing sexual assault, explaining that this way, their lives could be spared by the attackers.

He had said, “I see Nirbhaya’s mother, she has such a good physique. I can just imagine how beautiful Nirbhaya would have been.” The comments had drawn widespread outrage, but the former MP has defended his comments. Asha’s open letter was published in a Hindi newspaper. Slamming his comments, she writes that the former MP’s advice to girls disrespected the fight her daughter put up before her death. She adds that Sangliana had displayed the regressive attitude of our society, and likened his thinking to that of Nirbhaya’s rapists.

 She also termed Sangliana’s comments on her own physique and linking it to Nirbhaya as ‘inappropriate’. She asked if the same line of thinking should be extended for army personnel deployed at the borders, and whether they too should surrender on being attacked by the enemy.