(Image source from: Offensive rape comments we have heard in the recent times})

The alarming rise in rape cases in the country has been sending chills down the spines of thousands of angry, hurt and outraged women who now fear if India is any safer for them. That Indian cities are becoming more and more hostile to their female citizenry is evident from the expanding number of rape and crime cases of the most brutal kind involving women. Each day is a chilling reminder of the patriarchal society we live in where rape is just another weapon to appease the male ego.

Add to that, we have a gamut of insensitive Indian politicians and public figures who have demonstrated exactly why India will never develop and how we will forever be caught in regressive times with their shocking defenses of rape (yes, you read that right!).

These genius politicians, who have got it all figured out, have time and again cited plenty of implausible, ludicrous, and outright offensive reasons to justify why rape happens. They have gone to ridiculous extent to assert why men brutalize women and how women often call it upon themselves. But what they don't understand is that there is no tongue-in-cheek humor in making such contemptible comments. Enough said and discussed, let's not forget that nothing justifies a rape, absolutely nothing.

Ask a woman whose modesty has been outraged, who has been objectified as a sex-tool, who has lost her face, dignity and everything and she'll tell you that she hadn't asked for it.

While Mulayam Singh Yadav's “Boys will be boys” comment continue to draw ire and scorn nationwide, we show you how insensitive the establishment has become towards women in general and rape in particular. Here is a recent list of bizarre rape comments that will make you cringe in disgust.

No one commits rape intentionally — Chhattisgarh's home minister Ramsewak Paikra:
The recent minister to wade into a rape controversy is Chhattisgarh's home minister Ramsewak Paikra who has sparked a nationwide outrage with his ignonimous statement: "koi jan bujhkar nahi karta, dhoke se ho jata hai dushkarm" (no one commits rape intentionally. It happens by mistake.) Atrocious, isn't it?

Police cannot deter rapes — Babulal Gaur:
Recently Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Babulal Gaur put his foot in the mouth once again when he said that not police, but only God can prevent rape. Absolving government machineries like police from shouldering all responsibilities of curbing such heinous crimes against women, Gaur said: "I said police cannot deter rapes, but can take action only after it has been reported. Rapes occur within closed doors or in isolated places. Without prior information, how can police prevent crime?" The minister further went on to remark: “Unless the person wants, no one can dare touch her. The item numbers in films create a bad environment...” Horrendous!

Boys will be boys — Mulayam Singh Yadav:
Mulayam Singh's shocker that "boys will be boys"and that they "make mistakes" would go down in history as the example of politician with little or no concern about the life-changing, devastating consequences of rape. Addressing a rally in Moradabad, Mulayam had said that, "Rape accused should not be hanged. Men make mistakes." He had added that, "When their friendship ends, the girl complains she has been raped."

Aapko toh khatra nahin hua — Akhilesh Yadav:
Toeing his father's line is UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Singh. Although he didn't directly condescend the plight of rape survivors and victims, he displays strong insensitivity while reacting to the Badaun rape case. Questioned by reporters over the inexcusable rise in violence against women in Uttar Pradesh, an edgy Akhilesh Yadav shot back, "Aapko toh khatra nahin hua? (it's not as if you faced any danger?)."

Rapes occur in India, not Bharat — RSS's Mohan Bhagwat:
The RSS supremo Mohanrao Bhagwat raised many eyebrows when he said that rapes occur only in the cities and not in 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 had said. Has this man been living under the rock?

‘I consider you as my brother’ - Asaram Bapu, self-proclaimed “godman”
Asaram Bapu, the tainted godman, accused of molesting girls, once said: “She should have taken God’s name and could have held the hand of one of the men and said ‘I consider you as my brother’, and should have said to the other two ‘Brother I am helpless, you are my brother, my religious brother.’” Apparently, Bapu believed that women who get raped bear a fraction of the responsibility.

AW: Suchorita Choudhury