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March 4, 2015

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Rapist gives 鈥榗hilling鈥 interview in new film

The filmmaker behind a new documentary about a fatal gang-rape in India that caused global outrage yesterday told how one of the men sentenced to death for the killing had shown no remorse during a 鈥渃hilling鈥 interview.

Mukesh Singh, one of five people convicted over the 2012 attack in New Delhi, told British filmmaker Leslee Udwin from his prison cell that the murdered student shouldn鈥檛 have been out at night, in comments experts said reflect an instinct to blame victims of sex crime.

鈥淲hat I found when I interviewed him, the most chilling thing that I found, was that I got an insight and understanding into the way he views women and that is what is extremely shocking,鈥 Udwin said.

鈥淣o regret for one second out of 16 hours (of interviews), no regret. In fact, the opposite. Mukesh鈥檚 attitude is 鈥榃hy are they making a fuss about us, everybody is doing it,鈥欌 she added in New Delhi before a special screening of the documentary titled 鈥淚ndia鈥檚 Daughter.鈥

The 23-year-old physiotherapy student died from her injuries 13 days after being savagely attacked on a moving bus while on her way home from the cinema with a male friend on December 16, 2012.

Before her death in a Singapore hospital she was able to speak to police about the crime, which caused outrage across the world and triggered mass protests in India.

The attack highlighted the frightening level of violence against women in the world鈥檚 second most populous country and led to a major reform of the rape laws, speeding up trials and increasing penalties.

But in his interview, Singh said the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, should not have been 鈥渞oam(ing) around at 9 o鈥檆lock at night鈥 and that 鈥渁 girl is far more responsible for rape than a boy.鈥

Udwin said she had read out a list of all the injuries that the victim suffered when she spoke to Singh but he was unmoved.

鈥淗e is almost like a robot. I tried everything, every trick I knew to try and make him have a tear in his eye or something to see if there was any remorse,鈥 she said.

The victim鈥檚 parents condemned Singh鈥檚 comments, which caused outrage on television debates.

鈥淲hat he said is wrong,鈥 her father told the NDTV network.

鈥淚 have taught my children to stand up for themselves, never give up,鈥 he said.

The case sparked soul-searching about India鈥檚 treatment of women, but campaigners said little has changed.

鈥淚ndian society is such that it thinks rape is normal, that rape is a part of a woman鈥檚 fate,鈥 said sociologist Shiv Visvanathan.

鈥淥ur attitude to rape is as if the victim asks for it and the male is nowhere in sight 鈥 it is the circumstance, the provocation and whole series of symptoms, but men are never blamed,鈥 Visvanathan said.


 

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