India’s Daughter: Twitter brings people together through a ban
The internet reacted with anger, against the society's mentality
Mumbai: Most Indians, in the country and across the world with access to technology and following news are aware of the burning issue in India currently. The fire was always there. It got stoked when Mukesh Singh, one of the convicts sentenced to death in the infamous Nirbhaya gang rape, spoke what was on his mind in Leslee Udwin’s documentary India’s Daughter. What Mukesh spoke, mirrored the mindset that has always been there in our country.
After an uproar in the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha on Wednesday. Home Minister Rajnath Singh immediately ordered the documentary to be banned. That is when the internet played the classic Streisand effect.
Read: Everyone should watch Nirbhaya’s documentary. It is the bitter truth: father
Twitterati came together in making the most of the government’s knee jerk reaction. They reacted with anger. The anger wasn’t towards any person or establishment. It was against the mentality of the society.
Few weren't convinced of the documentary's quality, however that didn't stop them from speaking against the ban.
Rape docu patronising, dramatised crap, part Channel 4, part Sansani. But ban silly. What'll u next to save Ind image, ban YouTube like Pak?
— Shekhar Gupta (@ShekharGupta) March 5, 2015Frankly, Govt of India best promoter of rape docu. I woke up in Johannesburg and waiter with bed-tea says he saw it on Youtube last night
— Shekhar Gupta (@ShekharGupta) March 5, 2015
Shame the rapist... Let the world know what he thinks...do not stop the broadcast.
— Amrit Mann (@iAmritMann) March 5, 2015Why so insecure? Oh, let me guess, because you couldn't take appropriate action. #LiftTheBan #IndiasDaughter
— Prerana kapur (@Preranakapur) March 5, 2015I just can't stop crying. This film should be seen by everyone. #IndiasDaughter #NirbhayaInsulted
— Prerana kapur (@Preranakapur) March 5, 2015Ban the video because we dont have the guts to accept that people actually think shitt like this? #IndiasDaughter pic.twitter.com/QkrDiI6FEi
— Nandini Yadav (@NandiniYadav08) March 5, 2015India's Daughter presents no new info to Indians BUT the lawyer interviews challenge the narrative that education immunizes against misogyny
— Rega Jha (@RegaJha) March 5, 2015The documentary is on YouTube. Please watch it before the idiots, who think it should be banned, pull it down. #NirbhayaInsulted #Nirbhaya
— Nikita (@Nikitaism) March 5, 2015#BBC #IndiasDaughter shows the beasts as beasts! Is showing the truth a crime!? Ban your sick minds! Why ban this brilliant Docu?!
— sudhir tailang (@sudhirtailang) March 5, 2015Best summary of India, right now :( http://t.co/GN9VylNLfO pic.twitter.com/OLJtMLwK6f
— Karthik Srinivasan (@beastoftraal) March 5, 2015Today one documentary can influence all of society. Yeah right. So can that book, and that other film. Ban em all then. Pick a side people.
— Gayatri Jayaraman (@Gayatri__J) March 5, 2015Celebrities too put forth their views on Twitter. Expectedly, most of them called out loud against the ban.
The best way for the government to make us watch something is them saying please don't watch this.
— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) March 5, 2015I found #IndiasDaughter far more sensitively done than many angry ugly invasive debates on the same issue that happen on our TV channels.
— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) March 5, 2015Forget ban, #IndiasDaughter is must watch. Anyone who watches will understand devastation caused by regressive attitudes. Face it. Fix it.
— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) March 5, 2015A film about rape in the US military- yes. About rape in the Catholic Church-yes.A film about rape in India - BAN! #Indiasdaughter #DARKAGES
— Siddharth (@Actor_Siddharth) March 5, 2015How can showing a criminal mouthing depraved views amt to lionising him? It can only create revulsion in the viewer and lead 2 introspection
— Azmi Shabana (@AzmiShabana) March 5, 2015
You Tube accounts uploaded the video. If one is taken down, two others uploaded it again.
Read: ‘India’s Daughter’: Controversial documentary on Delhi gangrape uploaded on YouTube
On Facebook, the general mindset could be gauged through a few posts like the ones here.