Hyderabad: Susmita Kandadai, a resident of Hyderabad, had a frightening and unsettling encounter with a mysterious man on a train returning to the city the night before Diwali. She was returning to the city with her father when the creep seated next to her kept staring at her, invading her personal space, making her feel both intimidated and deeply uncomfortable.
Her blood froze. "When I turned to face my father, I noticed someone staring at me without blinking. I told my father. We all turned to look at him, and he moved slightly, adjusted himself, and continued shamelessly ogling. He pretended to sleep whenever I turned around. I felt uneasy and scared," she recalled.
There was no railway official to help her. “A friend suggested that I tweet about it or call the Indian Railways' grievance helpline. I followed my friend’s advice and tweeted to the railway authorities,” she said.
Within minutes, the railway authorities responded via Twitter. "Madam, we kindly request that you share the journey details (PNR/UTS No.) and your mobile number via DM. You may also direct your concern to railmadad.indianrailways.gov.in or dial 139 for prompt resolution. -RPF India."
"After sharing my information, I received a few calls from RPF, and they assured me that help would be available at the next station," she added.
Six railway police officers boarded the train 20 minutes later, warned the man that a complaint had been filed against him, and moved him to a different coach. The RPF called her again to assure her that there were three TTEs in the coach to ensure her safety.
"After that, an in-charge came to each subsequent station to check on me. I was pleased and proud of myself for dealing with the situation,” she said.
Susmita is not the only one who has encountered a creep while travelling by train, bus, or walking to college in public places. Creeps are lurking here, there, and everywhere, making you feel threatened. Almost four out of every five women face public harassment, with uncomfortable stares accounting for the majority of it. Women face danger even in public places. When it's crowded, men take advantage and inappropriately touch women. When confronted, they hide behind the crowd and openly deny it.
Pranathi, a Hyderabad resident, said, "Strangers who stare and bother women, especially when they are alone, are irritating and bothersome, and serious action should be taken against such creeps."
Talking about such vulnerabilities, Vamsi, a college student said people stare and give judgmental looks at the way one dresses. “I was dressed to go to a party when I wanted to take an auto, the driver and people were giving weird stares, which made me feel uncomfortable.”
Even offices are not safe. Some men approach women with an offer of help, get their contact information and then gradually begin to harass them by sending vulgar videos and texts. According to the law, every work space should have POSH (Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act 2013) to help them deal with such situations.
"We have over 450 SHE Teams deployed across the state in and around the identified crime hotspots. These hotspots include bus stops, metro stations, temples, working women hostels, schools and colleges, parks and entertainment zones, and so on. Each SHE Team consists of four officers, one of whom is a woman, and is led by a sub-inspector rank officer. The officers discreetly record the offence and apprehend them. additional commissioner of police, crimes, A.R. Srinivas said.
"Depending on the gravity of the offence, the offender is warned or a petty case is filed under 290 IPC and City Police Act with complaint by SI, or in serious offences FIR is filed if the complainant is willing to pursue the case."
