Facing flak from many quarters, including his own party leaders, former Minister and Congress MLA B.Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan apologised on Monday for his insensitive remark on rape amidst the hijab controversy. Mr. Zameer had said that rape cases in India were at a high because women were not wearing hijab. In a series of tweets, he explained that his remarks stemmed from his “anxiety” over spiralling tension over the hijab issue and was not meant to hurt anyone. “Clothes are definitely not the reason for rape. There are incidents of rape irrespective of what clothes women wear. The actual reason is the rapist mindset of few men. It is the men who should change their mindset,” he said. Earlier in the day, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president D.K. Shivakumar had condemned Mr. Zameer’s remarks and instructed him to apologise. “The Congress does not agree with Mr. Zameer’s statement, and he has been asked to withdraw it,” Mr. Shivakumar said.
