Meena Kumari, a member of the Uttar Pradesh Women's Commission blamed the increased usage of mobile phones by the girls as the reason for rising rape cases against women in the state.
“Girls should not be given mobile phones. Girls talk with boys on phones for hours and later run away with them. Their phones are not even checked and family members are unaware of these things. Girls should always be under strict vigilance. It should be checked where they are going and with whom.” said Meena Kumari.
Kumari added that she listens to grievances of around 20 women daily and at least five to seven cases are related to friendships over cellphones. "In many cases, girls were lured to a certain place and then sexually assaulted," she said.
She further blamed the careless act of parents especially mothers for not keeping a check on their daughters and not monitoring them. According to her, this careless attitude leads to crime against women.
"Mothers have a big responsibility. Today, if their daughters are careless, then mothers are responsible for that," she further said.
These remarks were made during a public hearing of complaints related to women in the Aligarh district.
The irony of the statement is that it was made by a member of the commission which is constituted to work for the cause of rape and fight for women’s rights.
Meanwhile, the UP Women's Commission has distanced itself from Kumari's statement. Anju Chaudhary, the Commission's Vice President, criticized Kumari's remarks, stating that depriving females of their phones is not a solution to sexual abuse against them.