A political party in India is handing out kitchen knives and chilli powder to women following a gang rape¹ in the capital New Delhi that ignited（点燃，着火） a national debate on the best way to tackle sex crimes.

 

The radical² Hindu nationalist party Shiv Sena, an ally of the main opposition³ BJP and which governs Mumbai, said it had handed out 21,000 knives with three-inch blades to women in the city and surrounding areas. It plans to distribute 100,000.

 

Mumbai police said they were examining the knives and considering legal action.

 

"This is a symbolic⁴ gesture," said Shiv Sena spokesman Rahul Narvekar, adding that a knife shorter than six inches in length does not fit the definition of a weapon.

 

The party also handed out small bags of chilli powder - apparently⁵ to throw into an attacker's eyes.

 

"It's only to pass a signal to eve-teasers, anti-social elements and perpetrators of crime against women that women are empowered and they can take care of themselves," Narvekar said.

 

Eve-teasing is a euphemism⁶ for molesting⁷ women.

 

"Don't be afraid of using this knife if someone attacks you," Ajay Chaudhari, running the knife campaign, was quoted by the party newspaper, Saamana, as saying.

 

"We have set up a team of nine advocates to protect you from any potential court cases that may arise."

 

A 23-year-old physiotherapy student was raped⁸ and beaten on a moving bus in on Dec 16 before being thrown bleeding on a expressway in New Delhi, dubbed⁹ India's "rape capital". Mumbai is generally considered a safer city for women.

 

The attack and the student's death two weeks later caused public outrage¹⁰ at the failure of the government and police to protect women from rising sexual offences in a country where one rape is reported on average every 20 minutes.

 

In response, more women are taking up self-defense classes and carrying pepper spray. A government commission set up to recommend revisions to India's sex crime laws this week said women who kill an attacker during a attempted rape should be able to plead self-defense.

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