By Shruti Sunderraman
Early last month, a woman had recounted her experience of how a group of men had been planning to abduct and rape women visiting pubs in Hauz Khas Village, New Delhi. Delhi’s notoriety with safety has scared many women. But not a 20-year-old beautician who fought off two kidnappers, escaped to tell the tale and register a complaint with the police. Thanks to her, the primary kidnapper, Rohit Choudhary, has been arrested. The police is on the hunt for his accomplice.
According to a report, Rohit wanted to approach and befriend the beautician after he saw her working at a beauty parlour in Vasanth Kunj, New Delhi. She spurned his advances. So, Rohit felt the right way to win her affections were by, you know, abducting her into a Maruti 800 vehicle. How normal, no?
But the woman resisted fiercely and raised an alarm, causing the abductors to flee the spot.
Even though her father is now afraid for her safety, she is unfazed by the incident. According to a report, she says, “I cannot stop stepping out of the house just because of some people. I want to earn money for my family and myself. I am not scared of anyone. If anything happens again, I will fight back.”
Allegedly, she is under pressure to withdraw the case. Her father told Hindustan Times, “They are calling it a mistake. Maybe they were looking for someone else and not my daughter but how can that justify this behaviour? If it were not my daughter, it may have been someone else. That does not change their intention. I told their family that no father would tolerate what they did to my daughter.”
In this particular case, the woman’s vigilance and presence of mind came to her aid. But not everyone has her courage and that’s okay. They shouldn’t have to keep looking over their shoulder for an unwanted presence. When will the consensus of safety start falling on the men who attempt these ghastly acts? While the beautician’s bravery is laudable, we’d like to laud the day a man learns to take NO for an answer and leaves her the hell alone.