The tragic demise of a young Indian schoolgirl has drawn attention to the pervasive issue of street harassment, specifically referred to as "Eve-teasing" in South Asia. This term has long been criticized for trivializing the harassment and assault faced by women in public spaces.
In a short CCTV video capturing the incident, two Indian schoolgirls are seen riding bicycles innocently along an almost empty road, dressed in their school uniforms. However, the tranquility of the scene is disrupted when two men on a motorbike overtake them. One of the men forcibly pulls away the scarf of one of the girls, causing her to lose her balance and collide with another motorbike approaching from behind. Tragically, a third motorbike from the opposite direction runs over the 17-year-old girl, leading to her untimely death.
The victim's father, Sabhajit Varma, arrived at the scene soon after receiving a distressing call from his niece, who was the other girl in the CCTV footage. Mr. Varma recounted his heart-wrenching experience, saying, "The moment I saw my daughter, I knew she was dead." Her injuries were severe, and she had no chance to bid farewell.
Mr. Varma's youngest daughter, a promising student with dreams of becoming a doctor, had confided in him just days before her tragic death, revealing that she and her classmates had been facing harassment from a group of boys outside their school. These young men would frequently loiter around the school premises, occasionally engaging in reckless bike racing.
The incident occurred in Ambedkar Nagar district, located in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. Police have apprehended three suspects, one of whom is reportedly a minor, while they continue their search for a fourth individual. Following the incident's viral circulation on social media and its widespread media coverage, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath issued a stern warning to those who harass women in public, stating that "Yamraj, the Hindu god of death, would be waiting for them at the next traffic crossing."
In a swift response, police claimed to have shot and injured two of the suspects in their legs, alleging that the men attempted to disarm officers and flee during a medical examination. The third suspect purportedly fractured his leg while attempting to escape.
Families of the arrested individuals have refuted the charges, asserting that their sons are not the individuals seen in the viral CCTV footage. They accuse the police of orchestrating staged encounters. Nevertheless, the police assert that they have expedited the investigation and anticipate a verdict within a month.
This tragic incident has thrust the issue of sexual harassment of women in public places into the spotlight. Some women's rights activists have also questioned the use of the term "Eve-teasing" by local media to describe the incident, deeming it "deeply problematic." They argue that the term minimizes the seriousness of the issue. The Supreme Court of India has similarly expressed concerns about the term and recommended its replacement with "street sexual harassment" in court proceedings.
Kalpana Viswanath, co-founder of Safetipin, an organization dedicated to promoting safe and inclusive public spaces for women, emphasized that the term "Eve-teasing" falsely portrays the issue as mere teasing when, in reality, it involves criminal offenses and violence. She remarked, "It's a typical Bollywood trope that the hero pursues the woman and she likes to be pursued. But it's a criminal offense, it's violent, and let's not minimize the harm of violence by calling it Eve-teasing, let's not trivialize it."
As most Indian women can attest, street harassment is distressingly common, often occurring while women walk on the streets or travel in crowded public transport. Many have personal stories of being groped, pinched, or subjected to lewd remarks. While most instances of harassment are registered under Article 354 of the Indian penal code, which addresses the "attempt to outrage the modesty of women," the case in Ambedkar Nagar has led authorities to invoke additional stringent charges.
In 2021, police recorded nearly 90,000 cases of such harassment, accounting for 13.4% of the total 428,278 crimes against women that year. Due to the backlog of cases, over half a million cases remain pending in courts.
However, street harassment is significantly underreported, as many women choose not to report incidents to the police. Identifying the harasser can also be challenging, especially in crowded settings. The incident in Ambedkar Nagar has garnered attention primarily due to its tragic outcome. Kalpana Viswanath concluded that addressing the issue requires a multifaceted approach, including raising awareness about acceptable behavior, sensitizing the police to take women's complaints seriously, and encouraging bystanders to intervene.
She emphasized that "we cannot look the other way and say boys will be boys. We cannot allow boys to be boys."
Published: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-66956845
Date Published: Tuesday 3 October 2023
Image courtesy of: puresolitude
