After Varnika Kundu, 29-year-old DJ, was allegedly chased by Haryana BJP chief Subhas Barala's son Vikas Barala and his friend Ashish Kumar on the streets of Chandigarh on August 5, the state BJP vice president Ramveer Bhatti's statement has irked thousands of women.
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What;s more, some people even tried to malign Varnika, claiming that she knew Vikas. They also raised questions on her character — much like Bhatti — by sharing photos from her social media pages that showed her partying.
Twitterati did not take kindly to this, and chose to show solidarity with the cause. That was why the hashtag #AintNoCinderella has been trending on social media.
In response to the shocking incident, Bhatti had asked why women are "allowed to roam around at night". Varnika had reacted sharply, saying: "It is none of his business, it is my business and my family's what I do and where...If it wasn't for men like these, I wouldn't be unsafe going out... whether it was 12 am or 2 am or 4 am."
Following the remarks by Bhatti and the social media posts, women have been posting their selfies taken at night in order to stop victim-blaming. But why Cinderella? The popular fairy tale said Cinderella had to come back home before midnight, and women reacted by saying they have no such compulsion.
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"Guess what BJP, it's midnight and I'm outside and this party is rad. You want me to stay home to be safe, your bad. #AintNoCinderella [sic]," a netizen named Poorva Sharma tweeted. "#AintNoCinderella The night is rightfully mine and no politician can point fingers at me for stepping out! [sic]," wrote another named Sunayana Suresh. Many other women have also have people not to teach them what to wear, what to eat and when to go out.
Even actress turned politician Ramya aka Divya Spandana reacted to the incident by posting her selfie taken at night.
#AintNoCinderella pic.twitter.com/L3ROrZkHMS
— Divya Spandana/Ramya (@divyaspandana) August 7, 2017
Check out the social media reactions here:
#AintNoCinderella
— Samyukta Hornad (@samyuktahornad) August 7, 2017
Sun maybe gone... but we are here to rise. :) #DontCurseDarkness pic.twitter.com/20eZCrqKFB
If I'm out at 12am, it DOES NOT mean I'm to be raped, molested, chased. My dignity is my right 24X7 #AintNoCinderella pic.twitter.com/6SN0I5NbSN
— Sharmistha Mukherjee (@Sharmistha_GK) August 7, 2017
No one gets to tell us what to do and what not. (Especially not the BJP louts!) It's our life!! #AintNoCinderella pic.twitter.com/dcU0XH2KIK
— Hasiba (@HasibaAmin) August 7, 2017
Guess what BJP, it's midnight and I'm outside and this party is rad. You want me to stay home to be safe, your bad. #AintNoCinderella pic.twitter.com/5x7UrDo0Ot
— Poorva Sharma (@PforPoorva) August 7, 2017
#AintNoCinderella The night is rightfully mine and no politician can point fingers at me for stepping out! pic.twitter.com/jkXa5EaOKR
— Sunayana Suresh (@sunayanasuresh) August 7, 2017
No man can stop me from going out whenever I want. Public spaces for women! #AintNoCinderella pic.twitter.com/jaipo3Dtai
— Nabakalpita Bora (@NabakalpitaB) August 7, 2017
#AintNoCinderella
— Divyaprasanna (@divya96prasanna) August 7, 2017
It isn't about Day or Night
It's all about your Mind! pic.twitter.com/PU9tJcpUQh
Hey it's midnight and I'm "out"!#AintNoCinderella pic.twitter.com/oKFNwtVIz0
— Palak Sharma (@Palaksharmanews) August 7, 2017
Dear regressive India,
— pooja? (@queenpsays) August 7, 2017
I will do as I please, night or day. Don't ever think you have the right to stop me #AintNoCinderella pic.twitter.com/oHIKgbhoeA