‘Testosterone boost for young men’: UP SP leader refutes Congress MLA ‘rape’ theory; blames online vulgar content for men’s ‘uncontrolled sexual desires’

MORADABAD: Samajwadi Party leader ST Hasan has expressed disagreement with Congress MLA Phool Singh Baraiya's controversial remarks related to the reason behind rape cases.Speaking to ANI, Hasan said that the major reason behind such incidents is alcohol consumption and called for strictest laws. He demanded the death penalty for the culprits of such incidents, stating they should be shot at "chauraha" (public square). "The main reason behind this is alcohol. After alcohol consumption, a man forgets to differentiate between his wife and daughter. We have seen so many examples of this. We need strict laws to punish rapists. They should be shot at 'chauraha'," ST Hasan told ANI. He also claimed that vulgar content on the internet contributes to the problem, saying it gives a "testosterone boost" to young men and makes it difficult for them to control their "sexual desires". "I think the internet is a big reason behind this. The vulgarity on the internet gives a testosterone boost to young men, which makes them unable to control their sexual desires," he added. Hasan’s comments were made in response to Congress MLA Phool Singh Baraiya’s alleged remarks on the causes of rape cases.Meanwhile, Baraiya issued a clarification, stating that the statement attributed to him was not his own. In a video shared on Facebook, he said he had only quoted a statement by a former Head of the Philosophy Department in Bihar for reference and added that he personally does not agree with or endorse it."Greetings. The statement for which allegations are being made against me is not my own. That statement was written by Hari Mohan Jha, who was the Head of the Philosophy Department in Bihar, and I quoted it in a particular context. I do not personally agree with this statement, nor do I support it, but I quoted it only as a reference," Phool Singh Baraiya said in a self-made video on Facebook. Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also criticised Baraiya's remarks, saying such inappropriate statements should never be made. He stressed that daughters should not be divided along caste or community lines and described them as goddesses. "Daughters are like goddesses to me. We cannot divide daughters on the basis of caste or community. In our tradition, it is believed that daughters are the embodiment of Maa Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati. So, whether it is a leader or any other person, daughters belong to every caste and community--how much will we divide society, will we divide daughters too? Such inappropriate remarks should never be made," Chouhan told reporters on Saturday. (With agency inputs)