Why molesting, harassing and eve-teasing is so easy & how the system fails you The Incident (youtu.be/PzOmJ3CV3Dw) Two journalists on their way back home from Noida, come across this young, rash driver who thought it was all very filmy. Not only did he drive recklessly, he cared little if anyone was watching him. Without a helmet, possibly drunk, the young man almost rammed his bike into their vehicle. They try to follow him, but maneuvering a car in a zig-zag way the biker did was a foolish thing to do. Somehow they eventually manage to get their car right behind the biker to realize what exactly was going on. The Biker was in such a great rush because he was trying to get a fellow car driver’s attention who turned out to be a female. The young man, obviously inspired by Bollywood flicks, started making lewd and obscene gestures towards the woman who was alone in the car. He did not let her pass, drove right next to her as if waiting for her to stop. The Intervention Meanwhile, the guys behind the wheel were totally taken aback by what they were seeing in the middle of a busy road. They tried to intervene, and started honking relentlessly to grab the guy’s attention even as other vehicles passed by, ignoring what was happening around them. After 20-30 seconds of non-stop honking, the guy turns back, slows down his motorbike and flashes a weapon concealed in his pocket. He lifted his shirt a bit to show us the weapon and started abusing her. Presuming these men got the signal, he once again raced away to harass the female driver. The Intervention Part II One of the journalists immediately took out his mobile phone and started recording as the vehicles approached a traffic signal leading to NH-24. The biker was relentless as he continued with his gestures and hurled cuss words to the female driver. The men in the car decided to get their vehicle in the middle of both the vehicles and did not stop honking. Their car barely squeezed through. One of the journalists asked the woman if this guy was teasing her, to which she nodded in affirmation. The Intimidation The biker eventually parks his bike right in front of the journalists’ vehicle to ensure they couldn’t move. The door at the driver’s end was already blocked as the female’s car was right next to it. He charges in towards the passenger window and knocks on the window asking these men to roll it down. They do not and instead continue to shoot his act. Doing so could have led the passenger in direct contact with this man who held a weapon and the driver who can’t get out as he is trying to shield the female driver. Realising these men had been shooting his act on camera and there was no way they were going to talk to him, he shows a thumbs-up sign to the men, signaling as if he is supercool with everything that’s he’s been up to. The Divine Intervention While these men managed to distract this guy’s attention towards them, the traffic signal turned green. Even as the journalist asked this woman to stay put, she saw this as an opportunity to race away to safety. The biker too immediately returns to his vehicle, but it refused to start. He tries hard to kickstart his bike failed miserably. Possibly perturbed, or some divine intervention, who knows. Even as the vehicles pass by, the guy struggles to get the ignition back on. The ‘I DON’T GIVE A DAMN’ moment A few seconds later, the bike is up and running. He turns back, with a smirk on his face, signals about the woman who had managed to slip by in the mean-time. He didn’t care that journalists have his video recording, he simply didn’t give a damn! The signal turns Red and these journalists think that this was their opportunity to get hold of this maniac. But the biker has absolutely no regard for the oncoming traffic. He zoomed past to get back to his prey who had managed to escape for a few seconds. The counter at the traffic signal still showed good 40 seconds to go green. Given the traffic in peak hour on NH-24, it’s next to impossible for a car to get through. They decided to turn right towards Shipra Mall where both the vehicles had approached but simply found no trace of either the biker or that Ford Indigo. The Social Media The Journalists get back home, prepare the story, upload the footage on youtube, burn a copy on a DVD and a pen-drive, write the complaint and then wondered if the cops would help them at all. They turn to facebook, pull out screen grabs, vehicle registration numbers of both the victim, as well as the assailant’s vehicle. Crystal clear print, no smudging, they feel a bit relieved given the poor light condition as it had rained the whole day. But while going through the footage, they realize how a traffic constable saw the entire incident and didn’t move an inch out of his chair from within the make-shift Police picket The ‘Slap on your face’ moment At about 8 in the morning the duo return to the scene to realize the Sector-62 police station was just 10 or 20 metres away from the spot where the incident took place. They inform the S.I who gave them a ‘What’s the point?’ look and then asked us the following questions: - Do you know them? - Did the guy on the bike and the female driver know each other? - Do you have the female’s contact details? And then he comes up with a solution. - We can’t file a complaint till the victim comes up and reports the matter - Why don’t you go to the sector 58 Police station and file a complaint there. You can also meet the SHO there Upon finishing their shift at about 5 pm and realizing the story went viral on social media, the duo decides to meet the SHO. They reach the Police station, only to be told, SHO is having lunch. They wait for good 40-45 minutes before the SHO surfaces only to disappear again. The men decide to file the complaint nonetheless. Once again they introduce themselves to the men in uniform explaining what all happened, the video recording and how sector 62 Station in-charge asked us to report the matter here. And then came the following questions again: - Do you know them? - Did the guy on the bike and the female driver know each other? - Do you have the female’s contact details? And the same solution: - We can’t file a complaint till the victim comes up and reports the matter When we persisted they decided to give us a ‘receiving’ stamp but refused to file the complaint. It didn’t end there.One gentleman even had the audacity to come up with a brilliant alternative: - Why don’t you change your statement and finish it off only till the point that the biker drove rash and bumped into your car! The Lesson So if this happens to a couple of journalists who despite possessing video evidence failed to get a complaint registered, we seriously wonder the plight of a common man. The system failed them, the cops failed them and on a very serious note, this assailant might be out on the streets looking for his next prey. And this sort of failure puts a big question mark on the ‘intent’ of the Police department to prevent crimes. While our judiciary has been quite pro-active in punishing the criminal, the Police has simply not found a way to ‘Protecting’ the crime from happening. The least that the Police could have done or still can do is press the following charges on the basis of the video proof: - Reckless driving - Jumping the red light - Driving without a helmet - Intimidation The Appeal While we sincerely hope the victim would surface and help us take this case forward, we would also urge our readers not to be deterred by these incidents and instead of staying mum, speak up or rather shout out loud. Because it is only then, can the women on the streets be safe. Your silence will encourage men like these. You would only regret it later to have not reported the incident and will weigh heavily on your consciousness. And trust us, it’s not a good place to live in where you cannot face yourself in front of a mirror. Free your conscious, ensure such monsters are taken to task and feel free to report the matter on social platforms in case the cops fail you The Debate - Do you think these two men did right? - Do you think the woman involved should come out in open and help them out? - Do you think cops are right when they say ‘No complaint till the victim doesn’t report’ - Would you stand up to such men, the next time an incident like this unfolds before your eyes? youtu.be/PzOmJ3CV3Dw
Posted on: Fri, 05 Sep 2014 07:07:06 +0000
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