How dare you congratulate?

This (bobbitisation incident) was the young girl's desperate response in self-defence. She was fighting for her life. My only fear is that people are projecting that hers, even by mistake or default, is a feminist act. Chopping off a man's penis is not necessarily a feminist act. That's not the way we want to resolve issues. There are men who have inflicted the worst kind of abuse on women, even inserting iron rod into her vagina.

This was a reaction by a young person in defence of the integrity of her body. I stand by it and support it. But I am not going to say therefore she is a feminist. There is no need to drag this incident into a discussion on feminism. It is foolish to argue that castration can be a possible solution. Is it only the penis that can hurt women? In fact, the penis is the least invasive.

Those in authority congratulating her are shameless. I am not speaking about Pinarayi Vijayan in particular, but authorities in general. Perhaps they might have another intention, and might want to make sure the girl is not hounded. But family, community and political authorities should be ashamed. Nobody in power has the right to congratulate her.

If the authorities had been working on women's security, especially young women's security at homes, the problem would not have risen. If she had a place she could go to, and she were sure people would react sympathetically to her, she would have done so much earlier. She would have approached the police station, a jagrata samithi or even authorities in society if she had trust in them, and was assured that they would take action. What is this mindset that forces a woman to do an extreme act and then the very authorities who have failed to give her any security congratulate her? How dare they? Aren't they ashamed?

Imagine her mental state. Unless one is a hardened criminal, who has got used to violence, a person who has to resort to extreme violence will be haunted by the incident in the rest of the life. She protected herself by paying a massive, lifelong emotional cost.

Those in authority congratulating her are shameless. Perhaps they might have another intention, and might want to make sure the girl is not hounded. But family, community and political authorities should be ashamed. Nobody in power has the right to congratulate her.

If the authorities had been working on women's security, especially young women's security at homes, the problem would not have risen. If she had a place she could go to, and she were sure people would react sympathetically to her, she would have done so much earlier

(As told to Archana Ravi.)

(Dr Devika is associate professor at Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram)