Harassment on the move

This week, Satish Reddy, working professional, posted on Facebook, “Just now one of my trainers said that while he was coming from Madhapur to Panjagutta, he saw a girl on a Scooty being chased, teased and harassed by almost 10 guys on bikes. They were driving fast and stopping in front of her suddenly, due to which she almost lost her balance a couple of times.”

But the tragedy was that “he moved out of their way and could not do anything”. Himanshu, the eyewitness, adds, “The girl was chased and harassed by guys on three to four bikes and a few of them in a car. I wasn’t sure what was going on. But there was nothing I could do as the girl did not stop and ask for help.”

This helplessness stems from the lack of knowledge on how to deal with a situation like this. And the worst affected are the victims on the move, who do not know if they should slow down, stop or speed up.

“I travel from home to college and back everyday. I have experienced many such incidents and have learned to come to terms that these anti-social elements exist. Some of them get really close and personal but there is not much I can do. I have obviously considered stopping next to a police, but then I worry that I would have no evidence to prove my case and that the culprits would get away and cause more harm,” says a student.

Shyam Sunder, DCP, traffic, says, “Stop at the nearest junction with traffic police and even if the harrassers get away, we can easily catch them in the next junction. If this is not possible, memorise the bike numbers and report to the police. The victim can call 100 or go to the police stations as well.”

Sandeep Shandiliya, additional commissioner of police, (Crimes), meanwhile, assures that a girls’ statement is evidence enough for the police to act. “The girl has to mentally note down the bikes’ numbers and stop at a junction and immediately call 100. At that point, the police has to respond to the complaint, whether it is a right allegation or not comes later.

The first priority for us is the girl’s safety. Even eyewitness accounts will be acted upon. In fact, if men see anything of this sort, it is their duty to report it to the police so that we can act.”