Jharkhand gang-rape: NCW chief affirms India's commitment to women's safety amid verbal spat with US writer

In response to allegations of "defaming" India following the reported gang-rape of a Spanish woman in Jharkhand, NCW chief Rekha Sharma on Monday affirmed India's steadfast commitment to women's safety. She highlighted the continuous implementation of stringent laws over time as evidence of this dedication.

Writer David Josef Volodzko, following the alleged incident in Jharkhand's Dumka district, expressed caution to his female friends against solo travel to India. Volodzko also mentioned a few instances of mistreatment and intimidation, one of which involved a woman being groped.

"The level of sexual aggression I witnessed while living in India for several years was unlike anywhere else I have ever been. Once a total stranger, a British woman, asked to sleep in my bed and pretend to be my girlfriend on a train ride because a man walking by in the hall had licked her foot and she felt unsafe. I introduced a female friend to a young Indian man and instead of shaking her hand, he groped her breast, and when she became angry he became extremely hostile and I thought I was going to have to fight the guy. I never met a female traveler who had not been groped or assaulted or worse, even if they had only been in country for mere days. I love India. It is and always will be one of my favorite places in the world. But I have advised female friends who asked me not to travel there alone. This is a real problem in Indian society that warrants more attention and that I hope will improve in time," the write wrote in a lengthy post on X.

In response NCW chief asked, "Did you ever report the incident to Police? If not than you are totally an irresponsible person. Writing only on social media and defaming whole country is not good choice."

Volodzko responded by pointing out that Sharma has herself been under fire for failing to respond to complaints brought forward by organizations advocating for women's rights concerning real claims of women being raped in public, publicly stripped nude, and beaten by crowds.

"And yet here she is with the gall to accuse me of defaming India. Sharma, it is you who defame India by presiding over a group called the National Commission for Women and doing nothing about the issue...and then criticizing people like me for drawing attention to this important matter. I love India. I don't have enough heart to hold all the love I have for India, nor enough words to express it. But do you?" he said.

The verbal exchange intensified further. Responding to the post, the NCW chief said "To vilify an entire country with a tweet is not only in poor taste but also unacceptable, as data speaks otherwise. As much as this incident needs to be condemned and perpetrators brought to justice, let me share a few statistical indicators and request you to remove this tweet."

She mentioned that according to statistics, over six million tourists visit India annually, with a significant number of them being single women.

"... and they holiday safely as India takes the safety of women very seriously, evidenced by its implementation of stringent laws over time. India views sexual assault as a very serious crime, and so should countries that, until now, have not considered date rape as a criminal offense," Sharma added.

She added that the NCW unequivocally condemns the incident in Dumka and had contacted the victim within hours of the complaint being filed.

"I would like to reiterate my point that, it is important to file an FIR when a crime is committed so that perpetrators can be caught in time. I am looking into this case personally and will extend all the help that it required from NCW," the NCW chief added.

TMC Rajya Sabha MP-elect and journalist Sagarika Ghose criticized Sharma, accusing the NCW chief of once again demonstrating arrogance of power and a shocking disregard for women's concerns.

"A country is defamed when women are assaulted, not when such crimes are reported so that justice may be delivered and the guilty punished. The NCW is engaging in victim shaming of the most atrocious kind," Ghose said in a post on X.

In response, Sharma said, "Sagarika just for the sake of opposing you are writing this without proper information. @NCWIndia took suo moto immediately when Dumka incident came in light."

"My member visited and met the survival within few hours and is still there to see that all 7 accused gets arrested. I personally spoke to the survival and extended all help," she added.

Sharma also made a sarcastic remark directed at Ghose regarding the Sandeshkhali violence, questioning, "By the way since you are from West Bengal did you visit Sandeshkhali and meet women complainants?"