Travel Influencer's 'Avoid Coming To India' Advice And... Amid Kolkata Rape Fury (Photo @TanyaKhanijow)
Tanya Khanijow, an Indian travel influencer, has been drawing social media backlash after she shared a post urging women living abroad to avoid coming to India. In an X post on Tuesday, Khanijow said that safety standards for women in India are “horrible,” adding that she sincerely requests all her women friends abroad not to travel to India unless the leadership seriously creates a safer environment for women. “Please avoid coming to India at all costs,” the influencer wrote. The statement was made in connection with the recent brutal killing and rape of a trainee doctor in Kolkata.
Branded as anti-national, several users reacted to her statement and accused her of labelling entire India as unsafe. The comment section of her handle got flooded with netizens both supporting and contending with her infuriated remark.
To a contention raised by a user, Nutty Professor saying, “Don’t think it’s appropriate to say that for entire India,” the influencer stood by her word stating, “It is, unless we acknowledge it, I don’t think anything will change.”
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Another user reacted by asking her not to come to India and wrote, “Where is Women’s Safety in Whole World ?” To this, Khanijow responded by saying that she has travelled to at least 33 countries including some African nations, noting that it’s safer than India. “Unless you’ve experienced abysmal safety yourself, I bet you won’t understand,” she wrote.
Another user, Shanti Swarup asked her to be ashamed of herself for calling an Indian for abusing whole India for being unsafe for women. “The incident happened in one of the most peaceful states in India where a woman is a chief minister and she is the torch-bearer of democracy and you start abusing the whole of India for being unsafe for women! People should boycott your channel if such is your mentality for the Indian community as a whole,” he wrote.
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The influencer did not hesitate to stand by her words again, saying, “Because it is, and unless we acknowledge it.” While reacting to the comment, she said she doesn’t think things can change, revealing that she herself has dealt with assaults in almost all parts of India. “It is our society at large which is failing women. And unless we call for strict actions, I don’t think we can feel safe,” the travel influencer added.
Shyam, another user urged the influencer’s subscribers to unsubscribe her, stating that he unsubscribed. Reacting to that, Khanijow wrote, “Yes, please live under your disillusionment and don’t protect women’s safety. It is more important for you to protect “honour” by faking it, than by actually working for safety.”
Responding to another user who argued that West Bengal is in the limelight for crimes, accusing chief minister Mamata Banerjee, Khanijow reiterated that it is not just one incident.
“Speak to any woman and I bet, there’s not one woman who hasn’t experienced some form of assault or another. Myself included. Not a single woman who hasn’t experienced some form of assault,” the influencer wrote, adding that the safety standards are very poor “and it’s an India problem.”
However, though she drew backlash from many with boycott calls and asking to leave the country and settle in a foreign nation, many jumped in to support her arguments asking her to ignore the trolling.
Safety standards for women in India are horrible. My sincere request to all my women friends abroad. Please don’t travel here unless our dear leadership seriously creates a safer environment for women. Please avoid coming to India at all costs! #kolkata #RGKarHospital…
— Tanya Khanijow (@TanyaKhanijow) August 12, 2024
