What’s With Men Thinking They Own Women? MP Man Abducts Woman He Raped To Halt Her Marriage

In Madhya Pradesh's Ashoknagar district, a 22-year-old man attempted to kidnap a woman he allegedly raped earlier after learning of her impending marriage to another man. Previously, he had recorded a video of her and threatened her family against getting her married to someone else. On discovering that her marriage was set, he, along with three others, went to her house and assaulted her entire family. In broad daylight, he tied the woman's hands and tried to abduct her. In the video from the occurrence now going viral on social media, he can be seen wielding a sword too. Fortunately, neighbours intervened and rescued the woman, and the three men fled the scene.

FIRs against the three were filed against the three under sections 376 (Rape), 363 (attempt to kidnap), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 294 (using obscene language) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.

What's With The Ownership Mentality?

This is yet another audacious case where a man presumed he owned the woman. The MP man, identified as Kalu first ruined a woman's life by raping her. He then videotaped her and threatened her and her entire family. He entered her life again when she was set to marry another man. He assaulted her and her family in broad daylight while brandishing a sword in his hand.

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Now and then, we wake up to disturbing news of women being victimized by men, with no end in sight. Safety concerns are escalating, with heinous crimes reported almost daily. This grim reality only makes us question - How are men coming to believe they can do anything to women without facing legal repercussions, and treating them as if they own them?

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We spoke to our legal expert, Siddharth Chandrashekhar, Advocate and Legal Counsel, Bombay High Court to understand what probably fuels the mindset. He said, “Despite stringent laws to protect women, legal and institutional gaps persist in India, fostering a mindset where legal repercussions seem unlikely. Delays in the judicial process, apathy within investigating authorities, and societal pressures on victims to remain silent or withdraw complaints to name a few are some factors contributing to the legal and institutional gaps. Additionally, the release of perpetrators on bail, including those who have obtained anticipatory bail, fosters a sense of impunity, emboldening them to commit further crimes in pursuit of their illegal objectives.”

Our constant belief in our judiciary and hope that legal repercussions instill fear in men all these years only seems to be waning now since nothing seems to have changed. Probably our educational approaches for men failed, weren't ever influential enough to shift their mindsets towards women. Do you think empathy, respect, and consent, primarily would make a difference?