NEWS: Nobody has the right to rape me, says Priyanka Chopra

Actor Priyanka Chopra, who was in Delhi on Tuesday, has spoken strongly about the brutal gangrape in Delhi that has shamed the country. Addressing the media at an event, where she was to launch a website to aid adolescent girls, Priyanka Chopra asked for the strictest punishment for the offenders while urging girls to learn to protect themselves. “It’s a heinous crime. Culprits should be given stringent punishment. As an Indian I feel ashamed of it. I’m in full support of peaceful protests and I think this will make a difference. It’s time for all of us to come together and make a change and not just forget about it in a few days,” she said.

So, does she think the culprits should be given death penalty? “I do believe in severe punishment. But it is not a decision that a single person can take, it is something that needs to be debated,” she added The actor-singer took the opportunity to lash-out against the lot who blame women for provoking men.  “A lot of people have said that girls wear provocative clothes or go out at night and drink, which prompts men to take advantage of them. Some even hold Bollywood songs responsible for it. But the only thing responsible for a woman getting raped is a man’s mindset. There is no other reason for it. I could be walking naked, but you still don’t have the right to rape me,” she pointed out.

The actor however suggests that women must learn to protect themselves: “Girls should go out in groups and make sure they carry pepper spray or something with which they can protect themselves with. Mothers should also teach their sons to respect a woman rather than telling their daughters to not wear this or that. That is the world we need. Meanwhile, girls should protect themselves.”

The 30-year-old actor, who’s UNICEF’s Goodwill Ambassador, thinks that it is heart-warming that several young Bollywood actors  have come out strongly against the rape.“Celebrities have the power to draw attention of the masses to an issue, since people listen to us. And I think it is my social responsibility as a celebrity to use the platform that I have to create awareness,” she said.

Other Bollywood actors on the Delhi gangrape case:

Deepika Padukone, actor: It is high time we did something about stopping such crimes. The rules and laws should be a lot more strict and action needs to be taken, much faster.

Sonakshi Sinha, actor: But what’s the point if the trial goes on for 10 long years ... rape calls for immediate death ... set an example, sow the fear. There’s nothing worse you can do to a woman

Shahid Kapoor, actor: We will talk about this for a few days and move on .... Is this who we are or who we have become ...If we cannot make every woman feel safe in this country #WEFAIL