Former Miss Universe and Bollywood actor Sushmita Sen recently opened up to the prevalent phenomenon of sexual harassment against women. Speaking to reporters, Sushmita said that there was no truth in the notion of big Bollywood celebrities such as herself being protected from the sexual predators because they were often surrounded by bodyguards.
She recalled an incident, which the model-actor said took place six month ago, when she was molested by a 15-year-boy at an award function in Mumbai.
“Six months ago, I was at an award function. You guys (media) were there as well. 15-year-boy, 15. Because there were so many people, he thought I would not come to know about my molester. But, he was wrong. I grabbed his hand from my behind and I was so shocked when I pulled him that he was a little boy.
“This is why I say guys, Learn some self-defence. It makes you very alert. Typically, for a misbehaviour like that, I could have taken a lot of actions. But he was a 15-year-old boy. I grabbed him by his neck as if I was saying hello to him. I took him for a walk, in front of the crowd. You all were there… (He said) ‘I am sorry, it will never happen.'”
Sushmita also went on to make her stand against sexual violence and gang-rapes abundantly clear. She said, “Grown up men, who in our country are indulging in worse. And gang-rapes, they (guilty) should be hanged, without a doubt. There should be no understanding or mercy for it. And start hanging them, you will understand what the consequence is. Loud and clear, whether you are in a city or a village. This, I strongly believe in. Then we can think of mercy and better place to live in.”
Sushmita’s bold statement against sexual violence comes just weeks after the Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan refused to condemn the brutal gang-rape and murder of an 8-year-old child in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district. Bachchan was widely condemned for his silence with some actors calling him cowardly.
Actor Prakash Raj had launched a blistering attack against him calling the actor coward for his refusal to speak up against barbaric gang-rape and murder of an 8-year-old child in Kathua by right-wing Hindutva fanatics.
Raj’s attack had not come in isolation. Earlier, as reported by Janta Ka Reporter, actor Pooja Bhatt too slammed the Bollywood megastar for his silence on the recent rape cases particularly the gang-rape and murder of an 8-year-old child in Kathua and the rape of an 18-year-old girl allegedly by a BJP MLA in Uttar Pradesh.
Bachchan, the brand ambassador of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (Save daughters, educate daughters) had astonishingly chided a reporter on Friday when she asked him to comment on the recent rape cases.
When asked to comment on Kathua gang-rape and murder, Bachchan had told the journalist to not ‘bring up this issue.’ “Even discussing this issue feels disgusting, don’t bring up this issue. It is terrible to even talk about it,” Bachchan was quoted by ANI.
