You all must have seen the viral video of the Lucknow girl incident a few days back. When the video went viral, many people slammed the girl and demanded her arrest. It is sad to know that some people in India are linking the incident to Feminism. Many of you might know the full story of the incident, some may not. So, here is a brief about the incident here.
What was the Lucknow girl incident?
The Lucknow girl incident or the Lucknow case is all over the internet these days. So, the Lucknow incident case goes like this. A woman in Lucknow beat up a cab driver in the middle of the road, hitting him multiple times. The name of this Lucknow girl is Priyadarshini Yadav. Surprisingly, all of this happened while a police officer just stood there and looked on. An FIR has now been filed against her.
She alleged that he had hit her with his car, but CCTV footage showed that there had not been any contact. He has alleged that she broke his phone as well as the side mirrors of the car.
While some people on the internet have said that she was crossing the road in a risky manner and should have been more careful, there are also those who believe the driver was in the wrong for speeding at a red light. Whatever the case may be, it was unacceptable for her to take the law into her own hands and assault the driver. But some people and groups have tried to pin the blame on feminism.
What is Feminism?
Feminism is a well-known concept even among teenagers and it basically translates to equality between genders across all social divisions. However, things are changing slowly but surely which is a positive sign. Feminism is a liberating idea that asks for equality between men and women and equality of rights and entitlements, gender role inside the house and outside the house. Feminism is about asking for an equitable and just society that will encompass every single person residing in the society.
While some people are still in the misconception that the people who follow feminism are anti-men or angry women shouting on the streets with slogans and banners, some also believe that it is an alien concept and it has no relevance in our country.
Why Feminism exists in India?
Basically, men and women are born equal but it is the society that creates the difference and makes us unequal. Men and women are different based on their biological construct and that is the only basis for their existence but unfortunately, people use these biological differences for denial of social status and equality.
However, these differences exist in our society and that’s why millions of people are in support of feminism. While boys are asked to be brave strong, articulate, they are made to go to the gym and follow a strict diet to build up the muscular body. The females in the family become subdued, polite and quiet because of pressure. The advice given to them is to become homemakers rather than being argumentative because that is not what our society accepts. There is control over the movement of girls outside their houses. They are told to come back home before the sun sets and be safe.
Unfortunately, in our society, people blame girls when they face harassment or become the victim of sexual assault. Rather than asking the boys to respect the girls, to stay indoors or not to look at other girls in an inappropriate way, society asks the girls to stay confined to the four walls of the house. And thus, inequality starts at the grass-root level.
When we talk about feminism, the question is of choice. The roles should not be assigned based on the gender of the person. If a male wants to be a homemaker and the woman wants to be the breadwinner, let them be. We allow them to have a choice. We should understand that it is not the responsibility of just a woman to nurture and rear the children at home. A man can also do that. So, these simple steps can be helpful in creating a just and equitable environment and society for men and women in India and this is what feminism is about.
Cases related to Feminism in India
The Lucknow-girl incident isn’t the first time feminism is becoming a target in such incidents. Yes, women in these cases have been in the wrong. But this does not mean that feminism is a conspiracy to falsely implicate men of crimes. Earlier this year, a woman claimed that a Zomato delivery executive assaulted her. However, it was later found that the information was false.
Bangalore’s Zomato Delivery Case
A beauty influencer, Hitesha Chandrani took to social media to complain of an assault. She posted on Instagram that the man making the food delivery assaulted her. She further added that he tried entering her house without her permission. Furiously, he hit her with his hand and as she tried to get hold of him, he pushed her again.
Whereas the Zomato delivery executive Kamaraj alleged that she started using abusive words and hitting him with slippers. So, in order to defend his own safety, he held her hand. And during all this, the ring that she wore, hit her nose and thus she got an injury. The Zomato delivery man claims that the girl attacked him.
In a statement, the company said, “We are in constant touch with Hitesha, covering her medical expenses and helping her with the proceedings. We are also in constant touch with Kamaraj, the Zomato delivery executive, to make sure both sides of the story come to light. We have temporarily suspended Kamaraj, but we are covering his earnings as well as his legal expenses.”
The company also said that Kamaraj has been working with them for 26 months and made 5000 deliveries for them. He has 4.75 stars out of a 5-star rating on Zomato which is one of the highest.
Conclusion on Zomato-delivery case
In the absence of witnesses and CCTV footage of the incident the investigation continues. As police called for questioning, she went missing and played hide and seek with them. Sometimes saying that she is in Mumbai and another time that she will never leave Bangalore. But all of this is only on Instagram. However, Bangalore police have put the investigation on hold. The police say that Hitisha is not coming forward to give a statement and respond to Kamaraj‘s counter-allegations. Now, many say that this is quite unusual. How the police started dropping the investigation just because the accused goes missing.
Now for influencers like Hitesha Chandani, this is all a publicity stunt. She gained a lot of new followers after this incident. She earns easy money and fame as she openly endorses products on her account. Moreover, she gets a handsome payment for them because she has a large number of followers on social media.
The truth behind the Zomato delivery incident that Hitesha falsified and proliferated on social media is exposed now. People now understand the pain and turmoil that Kamaraj endured because of Hitesh. She had not only abused and harassed him, but she also filed a false statement with law enforcement and had him arrested.
Lesson from the Lucknow girl incident
When men abuse and beat each other due to traffic-related accidents or incidents, we use the term Road rage and it is even normalised or justified. But when we see a woman engaged in similar activities, we are quick to assign gender to it and label it as a problem with feminism. Both are completely wrong and illegal neither should be seen as gendered.
The woman was wrong to take the law into her own hands and act violently. However, the police have booked her and should face consequences for her actions. If the man broke traffic laws, he should face consequences as well. He should also get compensation for the abuse that he faced. But using the incident as leverage to demean or malign an entire movement is wrong.