[vishaw]

A mob of 70-80 men groped and molested two young women for some 15 minutes on a busy main street in Mumbai’s glamour district Juhu early on New Year’s Day.
An identical incident had shamed India’s safest city exactly a year ago — a girl was molested by New Year’s eve revellers at the Gateway of India.

This is indeed very shameful that man take their authority where ever they go. Why men are like this? Is this the fault of our females? Is this the fault of our society? Is it the fault of our men?
Such kind of instances are so normal, that people have taken them for granted. I hear some men say, women make their own groups of female power (naari shakti); They think that it is rubbish, todays naari is not powerless. But I wonder that if today's women is mighty then such incidences in our society suggest what?

[uthupgeorge]

Incredible India !!!!




While Mumbai and Delhi seem to have discovered an unhealthy rivalry for the tag of "unsafe city" for women in India, how safe is India for women tourists even as she takes pride in welcoming outsiders with the Sanskrit sloka, "Atithi devo bhavah"?

On New Year's at Fort Kochi, a number of foreign tourists were heckled, abused and a 16-year-old Swedish girl molested by an unruly bunch of revelers. Another German scholar wasn't so lucky when Bitihotra Mohanty, the son of a top Orissa police officer, raped her in Alwar, Rajasthan, in May 2005, a crime for which he was convicted. He subsequently jumped parole and is still at large.

In fact, Rajasthan, which gets over 5 lakh foreign tourists a year, has consistently been in the news for attacks on tourists. In 2005, another German woman was raped in Jodhpur for which an autorickshaw driver and his friend were sentenced for life.

A schoolteacher in Jhunjhunu was given two years for molesting another German woman in March 2006. While the culprits in these cases have got their due, there was yet another case of alleged rape of two Australian girls in Jaipur who, after reporting the assault to the cops but traumatised by the experience, left for home and never answered court summons.

It's easily worse in Agra, where foreign tourists reported a dozen cases of rape, harassment, theft, and cheating while visiting the city in 2007 alone. The most shocking was the alleged gangrape of two Japanese girls on September 19 last year. They were so shocked that they did not even lodge a complaint in Agra, which was registered in New Delhi with assistance from Japanese embassy officials.

Then, acid was thrown on a Russian girl when she was returning with her friend after dinner at a hotel on Mall Road, on November 28. Varanasi, another "must" on the rubberneck circuit, too has reported violence of such sort: Diana Clare Routley from New Zealand was raped and murdered by a fake guide Dharmadeo in 1998. Her body was found after several days of search in Ghazipur district and the fraudster was arrested and later convicted.

Not surprisingly, the Australian high commission in Delhi stresses on the following advice to their women tourists: "Women travelers, especially when traveling alone, often get unwanted attention and have been sexually harassed and assaulted. Women should avoid walking at night in deserted areas including city streets, village lanes and beaches There have even been instances of single women being intimidated and harassed by houseboat personnel and their movements severely restricted."

Such an advice could also be extended to Indian women traveling within the country: Ask starlet Tanushreee Datta's whose New Year celebration in Bangalore was ruined when she slapped a man who heckled her, and which led to more catcalls and hoots against her.

( Inputs by Prakash Bhandari in Jaipur, Brij Khandelwal in Agra, Ananthakrishnan G in Thiruvananthapuram, Binay Singh in Varanasi)

[anu verma]

yes vishaw,I saw this incident on News yesterday.It raged me too to heights.yes it is very shameful act.This happens not just in our country but all over the world.what is alarming is this happening often in our country.

Is it because our society is stuck some where between western and eastern culture? or,
Is it because when men are drunk they are unconsciously so bold that they have no control over their acts? or,
Is it because women are considered as objects of possession since the early days of civilization?

No doubt men are biologically built different than women.Thus many of the differences follow being part of creation.
These type of cruel acts by some men has always lavished in the pages of history through out the world.We are exposed more today to such facts and acts because of evolving media's role.
Women empowerment does not mean that you wrap yourself in half clothes and expect the world to close their eyes.To feel the spirit of freedom and Independence,right attitudes should start from with in yourself and not by exposing yourself physically.

All men are not the same.Their are instances where men have worshipped women.Lets not forget about them.For a healthy society both men and women are needed in equals.

However,to stop such nonsense acts in future, stringent laws holding severe punishments should be thrashed on such eccentric minds.

[harshabanad]

When such incidents are reported over the papers, I feel ashamed to call myself an Indian male. If anyone would teach them to think that-" what if something like this would have happened to my family?"....I guess there would be major change in their behaviours. In the Mumbai case, alcohol is one important factor which limits a man's conscience. But that cannot be cited as a reason right?

Such incidences happen all over the world....more in male dominated societies.These are all crimes of instinct which cannot be totally stopped. It can only be controlled. The only way to control them is to see to it that retributive punishment is given to the molesters.

[uthupgeorge]

But What I suggest.. Girls should be brave to be out in cities even if it's a late hour.Don't get scared off by such shameful incidents. But you have to be careful.Let your friends or relatives accompany you.
Police forces should be vigilant even in late hours (in cities atleast).
They should be helpful to ladies who are late in night and alone and also ward off suspecious strangers in street..

Stringent actions should be taken against the culprits.

[saifnaik]

Hmm I dont know what could be the root cause. I feel the reason why this could have happened as one News channel duly pointed out is that Indian Men are sex starved. The reason for this is the System acting like a big brother here.
My view is that as children if our parents try to control us too much and resort to physical abuse then those children when they become big get spoilt and do exactly the opposite of what their parents where trying to imbibe in them. The same thing is now happening here, i think we should make society liberal and not make sex and things related to it such a big taboo, this encourages humans more. Having all types of rated events on TV with Parental controlled STB's and Sex education in schools and measures such as these should help to a certain extent i guess.

[sivaharimani]

The incident is not acceptable by us obviously. We need to think over about it. When ever we see a problem, we should be aware that "the fire does not come by a single stone but it comes from the friction between two stones only.". So, in this incident too, both the mens and womens are the responsible for the problem. Further, i can say, our very cultural over lapping is also a major cause.

Is this our Great Indian Culture? or we did get it from western countries?

for example,once a man toled to his friend that he drinks wine( in a geographically hot area in where he is living )and says it affects me a lot and brings my body condition hot and increases pressure.
His friend said--then why do you drink it?
He replied --because one of my friends toled me taking wine is good for health...
His friend asked again, is it? then why it is not good for you now?
he said i do not know..
his friend again asked --where is your friend living?
he replied that he is in Iceland...

like that, these types of cultures are purely based on their value system of country(like the drunker ' d friend has the habit of taking wine due to his geographical nature). Our India has got various value system characters from various countries which are both good and wrong(ie., acceptable by Indian value system or not). From the story, that man has got the habit of taking wine by his friends advise, but he did not think it is applicable to him.

If we would had have aware of this concept, then like this incident also would not have happened.. But i strongly oppose this incident.

lets our members please do not have the harsh feelings. Lets approach any problems with very much tolerant way, then only we can think about the solution to the problem and cab solve it....

[sivaharimani]

and who said Indian men are sex starved. They themselves know very well. who is India and who are Indians. we are having Brahmacharya practice. but no other countries have this practice.
harsha you need not feel ashamed. if somebody commits mistakes, we should not blame for others. In the world countries, India is the best. do you know , many of Indian males are living abroad, who are married and also not married are keeping Brahmacharya(i hope you can understand), because they loving their Parents, wives, lovers, their families and especially our indian culture.even though they have a great liberty. they are from our great India. we are the great Indians ! harsha!. do not forget we only have had the perfect and pure way of living practice but no other countries. do not you think, mens of other countries do not do this....

[vishaw]

Hi all,
I am very much happy to know your opinions. Yes Anu I agree all men are not same. I don't know what Harsha said that made Sir to moderate him, so I cannot comment on that.

Shiva, I liked, your approach to take this as a problem and resolve it. I agree your view that it is mismatch of geography and culture. But I donot think that it is intoxicating drinks that make men to loose their head, no it is the very thought they have in their mind regarding the women, as Anu pointed out as a possession. 70 - 80 men and two women, was every body drunk? not even a single out of them was in his senses. Infact this was the aping, people know it is wrong but if every body does, it is OK....... This is the mind of literate but half educated society. At the same time they worship her as deity as a mother, and at the same time they portray her as a symbol of lust.

Well Anu as per your point that girls wearing half clothes and hope that world close their eyes is a beautiful lesson to girls who flaunt to gain others attention. Infact today everyone has this problem, people know don't wear for their comfort but in order to appeal, this goes both for girls and boys. While we become graduate and post graduate our mentality does not grow and same thing remains as we age. This is not just a mob at the road that did this, cases have been reported of professors, teachers, officers, being doing the same thing again and again, I think this has become a disease with majority of our population. Men and women, both are to be blamed, but who suffers, women and her relatives. And then this becomes a taboo that having a girl child is a responsibility until you marry her off, and then again the agony does not end, their is again a man who can now legally molest her. What is happening to the society, where the mutual respect has been gone from our people? And such kind of mentality leads ti female infanticide.
I think all these problems having one root only, these all are connected with same cord within our society.

[harshabanad]

And as suggested by saifnaik, one need'nt want a news channel to kow that Indian men are sex starved...If an average citizen walks on a busy Indian road, he/she can make out the way men stare and drool at girls.....its common observation.
Though there was nothing extraordinary in my sentences, I say that.....If the very words I spoke brought uneasy to Anu Verma, just imagine the fate of those two women who were molested.....
And Shivaharimani.....I am a critical insider, I condemn Indian men (the ones in Mumbai)...what happens in other countries and societies is only a consolation.
And as Vishaw has pointed out out does everything devolves around sex?
Also I point out the hypocrisy of the society.....sometime ago.....In Bangalore...a call centre girl was raped and killed by the cab driver and there were numerous reports all over....and at the same time a poor woman was raped before her children which received meager attention......what are the reasons?
Why I say all this is because I had ( In my profession as a lawyer)spoken to the parents of a four year old rape victim...thought I might relate my experiences.