Freedom of Speech is our fundamental right, a right meant for the greater good of society. Everyone should be able to voice out their opinions and discerns, regardless of what group or caste they belong to.
But then some politician, actor, YouTuber, or any random social media user says something insanely outrageous, and boom – there goes my belief that everyone should be allowed to speak their minds out.
It has been happening way too often lately. This time it is all the more shocking because it is coming from a professor at a law college in Goa named Shilpa Singh.
The Professor’s Absurd Comparison Lands Her In Trouble
The political science professor at Panaji’s VM Salgaocar College of Law compared women wearing mangalsutras to chained dogs in a Facebook post dated April 21 this year.
This post was perceived as anti-Hindu, hurting religious sentiments. Naturally, it garnered lots of attention, and as we know, too much of something is never good in the long run.
Her post caught the eye of Rajiv Jha, a member of Rashtriya Hindu Yuva Vahini’s Goa unit, who filed an FIR against her for derogatory comments against a religious value.
Rajiv is not directly friends with Shilpa on Facebook. He has 20-25 mutual friends with her on the platform.
He first noticed her post when the ABVP sought her termination from the position of professor on the grounds of promoting “socially hateful thoughts about a particular religion.” ABVP’s demand, however, was dismissed by the college authorities, who found no solid reason to suspend Singh.
Hours before the FIR was lodged, Singh posted a formal apology on Facebook, “(I) express my regrets to my fellow women if any of my Facebook posts have caused them hurt and offended them”.
Read More: Ridiculous Wedding Rituals That Are So Regressive That They Need To Stop
Events That Followed After The FIR Was Lodged
“If she has thoughts, she should keep it to herself, and not publicise on social media. She is a professor; if this is what she writes here, wonder what she must be teaching her students,” posted Jha. He also called Singh “Hindu-phobic”.
After Jha’s post, Singh filed an FIR against him and he has been booked for criminal intimidation and insulting the modesty of a woman.
Jha, however, said, “Since she is a woman I went to the police station. She has filed a counter-compliant of abuse and threat to life. I could have gone directly to the college and sought action. (But) I have not.”
Singh, explaining the intention behind her “ill-perceived” post, wrote, “Since my childhood, I have been curious on questions why we have exclusive marital status symbols for women and not for the men in various cultures practices.” She denies the allegations of being “atheist” or “anti-Hindu” against her.
Her thought process behind the post is understandable, but the language used by her is not. Wearing a mangalsutra is a woman’s personal choice. While it might be suffocating for a few, it is a symbol of sanctity for many others.
Clearly, she is not in favour of such practices. However, it was not her place to compare all the mangalsutra-wearing women to chained dogs.
Sources: Indian Express, India.com, The Wire
Image Sources: Google Images
Find The Blogger: @TinaGarg18
This post is tagged under: Mangalsutras, Indian wedding rituals, Hindu bride, Hindu wedding, married women, anti-Hindu, Anti-national, chained dogs, derogatory remarks, breach of peace, abuse of freedom of speech, political science professor, Rashtriya Hindu Yuva Vahini, professor compares women wearing mangalsutras to chained dogs, hurting religious sentiments, propagating hate on Social media
Other Recommendations:
The Kind Of Feminism We Have Vs The Kind Of Feminism We Need
