Gangrape row: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says, don't kill the rapists, then contradicts RSS' Mohan Bhagwat

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar however spoke against the views espoused by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.

Rubbishing the view that if women remained home-bound much of the violence against them could be avoided, Art of Living (AOL) guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on Thursday said in a civil society women enjoyed all rights that men are entitled to.

"It is so foolish to say women should remain at home. I don't agree with this theory. Women have the freedom to go anywhere of their choice any time," he said.

A few days ago, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said, "A husband and wife are involved in a contract under which the husband has said that you should take care of my house and I will take care of all your needs. I will keep you safe.

"So, the husband follows the contract terms. Till the time, the wife follows the contract, the husband stays with her, if the wife violates the contract, he can disown her," Bhagwat said during a rally.

Reacting to queries on row sparked by some spiritualists by making statements on these lines in the wake of the Delhi gangrape incident, he said he also did not subscribe to the view that compared to cities villages were safer for women in India, which again contradicts one of the theories expounded by Bhagwat.

"Even in villages such things are happening. Some times they go unnoticed," he said.

He said he would not recommend death penalty for rapists as suggested by certain quarters since more and more civilised societies the world over were coming out against capital punishment. "I am for life imprisonment in such case, not death penalty," he said.

Ravi Shankar, who has been in Kerala for the last few days, said the AOL would be launching a campaign to mobilise youth to organise "neighbourhood watches" for the safety of women.

Ravi Shankar said AOL also planned to spearhead a drive to organise youth against corruption in politics and awaken the voters to back the right candidates.

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