Zeenews Bureau
Mumbai: In another outrageous comment by a politician against women post the Delhi gang-rape case, Mumbai head of the Samajwadi Party Abu Azmi said on Tuesday that the freedom that women have to move around freely with men should be curtailed.
"Women should not venture out with men who are not relatives," Azmi, a member of Maharashtra assembly, said here.
"What is the need for roaming at night with men who are not relatives? This should be stopped," he said.
"Such incidents (like the Delhi gang-rape) happen due to influence of western culture," Azmi said.
Scantily-clad women attract male attention, Azmi said adding rape cases are on the rise due to "women wearing less clothes."
And in a statement which sounded like the comment made by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Abu Azmi said that rapes were lesser in rural areas than in urban areas because there was less influence of western culture there.
"The number of rape cases in villages are less (compared to cities)," he said.
Azmi added, "if a girl goes with her consent with him (boy friend) to a hotel and does not complain, then it is not an issue. But if the same girl goes with the boy to the hotel and no one knows what happens inside...And if the girl comes out and complains, he would be hanged," Azmi said.
The SP leader also blamed Hindi cinema for increasing crime against women. He said that the nudity that is shown in films must be taken cognizance of.
Meanwhile, while talking to CNN-IBN Abu Azmi’s son, Farhan Azmi apologised and expressed regret over the statement made by his father.
“We need to have a proper dialogue with the previous generation,” he said.
At the same time he added, “This rape issue is very condemnable.”
He also said, “Certain things that my father said was slightly Islamic and we do not want to impose this on anybody,” he said adding “I completely agree that my father made a wrong statement. The words he chose were misplaced.”
“Somewhere there is disconnect between my generation and my father's generation.”
In the same vein he added, “I think 70 percent of men feel that women today are crossing the line.”
First Published: Tuesday, January 08, 2013, 17:10