Asking why Pahalgam women survivors didn't fight back demeans all women

Indian Express

28-05-2025

The import of what BJP MP Ram Chander Jangra said, that the women who lost loved ones in the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack didn't show bravery or fighting spirit, has not fully sunk in the country's consciousness, or it would have evoked louder protests.
These women were not the 'Veeranganas' they were expected to be, Jangra alleged. 'Veerangana ka bhaav nahin tha, josh nahin tha, jazba nahin tha, dil nahin tha,' Jangra said. He wished they had been like Ahilyabai Holkar, the queen of Malwa, who ruled wisely in the 18th century and also led her army into battle.
Jangra obviously expected these unsuspecting women to suddenly fight like Holkar or Rani Laxmibai, both of whom had commandeered their armies. But these women were in Pahalgam, peacefully holidaying, some of them newly married and on their honeymoon, when the terrorists suddenly struck and killed the men after ascertaining their religion.
Jangra, a Rajya Sabha MP from Haryana, believes the tourists should have fought back and repulsed the terrorists, who were armed with the latest weapons and had presumably done the recce of the area for several days before choosing the site and their unsuspecting targets.
Going by the argument that Jangra has advanced, should every Indian woman get gun training so as to be bravehearts – for you don't know when you will need it to protect yourself and your family!
What Jangra does not talk about is that it is the Indian State's fundamental duty to provide safety and security to all its citizens, including women. Nor did Jangra exhort the government's intelligence machinery or the security forces to be more vigilant – and efficient. Instead, he chose to point out the fundamental duties of the women present.
This then is the question many women are asking today: What do you, Mr Jangra, know about the courage that these women displayed in the face of a barbaric attack at Pahalgam – and will be called upon to display for the rest of their lives? Do you know the pain — and bravery– it takes to live with the trauma of seeing your husband, son or brother shot point blank, to watch them bleed to death in front of your eyes, and have no recourse available to prevent their death?
What is more, by blaming the women for the death of their menfolk, Jangra was diminishing the magnitude of the senseless killings on April 22, the sponsorship of terror by Pakistan, and the use of terror as a weapon to settle scores in this day and age – which the Indian government has been emphasising.
Jangra made his remarks at a time that seven high-level, multi-party delegations are out mobilising global opinion against terrorism and its backers. Any shift of focus away from the fact that the terror attack originated in Pakistan is likely to dilute the impact of the government's own carefully crafted initiative.
There are those who believe that Jangra's words are only a diversionary tactic. With the Opposition stepping up its demand that the government answer questions thrown up by Pahalgam and Operation Sindoor, and call a special session of Parliament to do so, is Jangra trying to divert attention from the 'main muddas (issues)'?
His words also reveal a mindset holding a deep prejudice against women — that ultimately it is they who are at fault for everything that goes wrong around them and must own the final responsibility.
This mindset has no place in the India of 2025. Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged leaders at the NDA meeting on Sunday to not 'speak out of turn' about Operation Sindoor. Not long ago, it was a minister in the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh, Vijay Shah, who referred to Colonel Sofiya Qureshi as a 'sister' of Pakistan.
The two women from the armed forces, Col Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh had been fielded by the government to play the lead role in informing the nation about Operation Sindoor, to the pride of many in the country. Had timely action been taken against Shah – he was even rebuked by the
Supreme Court for his communal comments – Jangra may have thought twice before speaking out the way he did.
Over the years, the PM has expressed his commitment to women's empowerment through the 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' programme, to women-led development, and to the safety and security of the last woman in the country as her due. That doesn't square with a BJP MP getting away with accusing the widows of Pahalgam of cowardice, and at a time when teams of MPs, non-MPs and security experts have fanned out to world capitals in a major government outreach against terror, of which India was a victim.
It compelled the PM to speak powerfully about Operation Sindoor , of 'hot sindoor' coursing through his veins – as a commitment to avenge the death of 26 innocent men, and to bring their families some semblance of justice.
But then, words which humiliate the widows of Pahalgam surely call for action which goes beyond a mere warning – and sends a salutary 'enough is enough' signal to all? And to the likes of Ram Chander Jangra, one can only say – please do not accentuate the pain the widows of Pahalgam are already undergoing, that demeans the women of India.