Woman Writer Threatened With Rape!!

The signs are all here and those who are dismissing them are 'few random incidents' are simply failing at their attempts to veil the obvious.

In the latest story emerging from Bengaluru, noted writer, film-maker and script writer Chetana Thirthahalli was threatened with rape, acid attack and other 'dire consequences' on Facebook.

This after she wrote articles questioning Hindu customs in various magazines, including Muslim publications. She was also part of a recent rally in Bengaluru which supported beef consumption and saw attendence from numerous litterateurs and feminists. 

For past few months she received numerous threats from various Facebook accounts which surely disagreed with her views that were expressed by her. Finally on Saturday, She lodged a complaint with Hanumantha Nagar police against operators of two Facebook accounts. 

In her complaint, the writer said she had been receiving the messages from Jagrutha Bharatha and Madhusudhan Gowda on Facebook for 5-6 months. 

"Initially, most of the messages were from fake profiles and were reactions to my posts on Facebook. I ignored them. However, of late, Madhusudhan has been messaging me regularly especially after reading about recent protests where I have been and so on. His threats and messages are communal, anti-feminist and often obs cene," she told STOI. 

"With the killing of writer Kalburgi and little progress in its investigation, I do not feel safe now. I may not be anywhere near Kalburgis' stature, but I am afraid. So, I decided to file a complaint, especially when I realized that these people were following my every move, every post," she added.

Police have registered a case under IPC section 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) and 509 (word gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman). They have also referred the case to the cyber crime cell to trace Madhusudhan.

The question and topic here are not the prevailing controversial religious intolerance but the respect and life of a woman and writer. It is sad that everyone who stands up against something or dares to do so is put to a tragic end. This is the current situation in India. Pity and shame is all that i have to share, this is same India where goddesses re worshiped and daughters are killed!! Welcome to India!!  

'A writer’s freedom is bound to be threatened if freedoms of Dalits and women are also threatened'

In the latest incident in Karnataka, a young Dalit writer Huchangi Prasad was allegedly attacked by unidentified men for his “anti-Hindu” writings at Davangere in central Karnataka on Wednesday.

 The complaint was lodged by Chethana last week wherein she alleges that she started receiving threat messages on the social media after endorsing beef consumption. Chethana also said she had been receiving threat messages on the social media for the last one year but did not take them seriously.

 However, after the killing of Kannada writer and rationalist M M Kalburgi in August, she approached police. Kalburgi was shot dead by two men at his residence at Dharwad in north Karnataka, with the assassins still remaining elusive. 

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