Considering women as soft targets is something that has become common place on city streets and reel life. The buzz of this refuses to die down despite frequent incidents bringing such incidents of abuse to the fore.
With the recent case of a popular Malayalam actress being molested, which shook the entire nation, the billion dollar question on women safety still remains unanswered. With no change in the mindset of a few men, actress Ragini Dwivedi’s recent prediction might as well become reality.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, she said that soon women will be seen stabbing people on the road if the society fails to protect them. “I think if these things continue, possessing and using weapons such as knives will be made legal for women,” says Ragini.
In yet another horrific incident, recently involving another actress, a tall African origin male, eve-teased and frightened her while she was alone walking near a market near her home, while she waited for her mother to return from her shopping.
Luckily, her mother returned in time, and the man vanished. Shweta Pandit, whose upcoming release Urvi which talks about the strength of women, recalls the horror, “Just a few days ago, my mother and I, with our dog had gone out to buy something in the evening near our residence. As the market is close by, I left my mobile phone at home. My mother was busy, and my pet was with her as I strayed further. Suddenly a tall man of African origin came by on a two-wheeler, stopped me, forcing me to ride along with him. I told him I was not interested and to please leave me alone. However, he did not leave, and kept stopping me every two steps. I warned him that I would scream as I could see the
police nearby,” a shaken Shweta recalled.
The actress further revealed that to her surprise, he was quite adamant and seemed unafraid of the police, even dared her to scream for help. “I was actually looking at some stones lying on the road to pelt at him. He was so heavily built, and I was worried. Soon my mother came towards me, and the man vanished into the dark,” says Shweta, adding, “I could not recognise him in the dark and could not take note of the vehicle, as it was quite dark, hence could not report it to the police.”
Sukumar, who trains women in basic safety and defence techniques, says that no matter how close or far a place is, women should avoid going out alone in dark and lonely places.
“Any suspicious act including eve-teasing should be reported to the police even if one decides not to file a complaint, sensing that it is a minor incident. It helps police identify vulnerable places which they then frequent for the safety of the public,” he says.
