The crowd pounces on the girl even as her friend (in striped shirt tries to protect her.Pic by Shadab Khan, Mid Day photographer
The last night of 2006 turned out to be one horrifying start of a New Year to one young couple in Mumbai.
Large crowds congregate in large numbers on the streets of every major city to usher in the new year. However in Mumbai, being in one of those crowds turned out to be one nightmarish incident for a young woman who was violently groped by a group of about 60 revellers at the Gateway of India. The incident, committed in full view of hundreds of onlookers has shaken the faith of the citizenry of Mumbai, which boasts to be the safest city for women in the country."
"Photographs of the woman being groped appeared in a tabloid on Tuesday morning. The mob had even torn off her skirt despite the presence of her male companion. The incident has outraged Mumbaikars who say that the image of the city as a safe place for women has been sullied.
The tabloid photographer claimed that he was atop a temporary watch tower erected by the police when he clicked the pictures. The report said that no cop came to the rescue of the couple who managed to get away on their own."
The couple has disappeared and have not filed a complaint with the local police. There is no doubt that they were victims of a horrible horrible mob of perverts - but Zonal Director Commissioner of Police Brijesh Singh reportedly told the press that the "50 policemen were at the Regal junction where they were requesting women not to go towards Gateway of India as there was a rowdy crowd in the area. "Policemen posted here had convinced several women not to go towards the Gateway of India but still there were some who went ahead."
A question to be asked is, why blame the cops always? Cops do their best and at times they are simply outnumbered and with all the commotion they are unable to prevent incidents other than warning people to take care of themselves.
Isn't there something called general caution a person exercises in such times? Where were the others in the public or were they the cool macho's who shiver in their pants when it comes to taking action? At times, in the excitement of having fun and revelry, people tend to forget the places and surroundings and let uncontrolled mob frenzies control the perfectly normal people otherwise.
No male companion even if he was a wrestler could fight away the 60 or more men who went berserk on his female companion. Was this a result of not heeding to the police warnings to keep away from the crowds or was it just plain misadventure to get the best view in the house of the celebrations unwittingly being surrounded by the perverse mob.
Most of the leading women in Mumbai interviewed later by The Mid Day, expressed the fact though the incident was unfortunate, "they all insisted that it was up to the women to take precautions and protect themselves."
A Police inquiry has been set up and based on photographs already 5 men have been nabbed at the time of writing this blog. On Wednesday, the police said they would be taking suo motu action in the incident as nobody had registered a case. Mid Day photographer Shadab Khan who clicked the pictures must also be applauded for capturing the incident on his camera and bringing to light the shameful deed and hopefully to bringing to justice the perverts.
This is not an isolated incident in Mumbai, rather this is just one of the many cases which happen all over the world. Only that, most of the time it goes unreported or unnoticed.
“Carelessness about our security is dangerous; carelessness about our freedom is also dangerous” ~ Adlai E. Stevenson, American Politician
The perverts tore of her dress in the teeming crowd.Pic by Shadab Khan, Mid Day photographer
1 comment:
This is shocking and sick. I have doubts that this is an isolated incident, my friend who is origionally from there, says, you can't escape groping in public transports and busy places. I hate to say that, she should have been more careful, not that I am making excuses for the men, they are sick, but looking at the picture, she is the only woman in the picture.
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