Rapes happen in India, not Bharat: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat

Zeenews Bureau

Silchar: At a time when ensuring women’s safety has become a top priority for the government, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has kicked-off a fresh controversy by saying that cases of rapes take place in India and not in Bharat (rural India).

Bhagwat made these remarks in Silchar while addressing a gathering of the RSS workers.

Speaking on the issues concerning women, the RSS chief said, “Such crimes (rapes) hardly take place in 'Bharat', but they occur frequently in 'India'.

The ageing chief of the right-wing Hindu organisation also blamed the western culture and the excessive urbanisation for rising crimes against women.

During his speech, Bhagwat said that those living in urban India are highly influenced with the 'western' lifestyle and culture and this could be one of the reasons for increasing crimes against women.

However, he said that there is no erosion of moral values among those living in the rural India.

"You go to villages and forests of the country and there will be no such incidents of gang-rape or sex crimes. They are prevalent in some urban belts. Besides new legislations, Indian ethos and attitude towards women should be revisited in the context of ancient Indian values," Bhagwat was quoted as saying by the media.

The RSS concluded by demanding stringent laws against rape and favoured capital punishment for those convicted of such crimes.