Stalking, Crime Not Romance: Girl, 15 Shot Dead By Stalker In Punjab

A 15-year-old girl was shot to death by a man in Punjab’s Ajnala village. According to a police statement on Wednesday, the man had allegedly been stalking the girl for the past few months. The accused has been identified as Dalbir Singh. The police have arrested one of his two accomplices.

On Tuesday evening, the three accused forcibly barged into the teenager’s aunt’s house and questioned her about her whereabouts. The girl who was inside the house came out, and a heated argument followed when Dalbir Singh shot her to death and fled the scene. The girl was immediately rushed to the hospital but was declared dead on arrival.

Teen Girl Shot To Death By Stalker

Police officials stated that the accused had been harassing the girl for the past several months and pressuring her to marry him. Unable to tolerate the accused’s constant harassment, the girl’s parents sent her to her aunt’s residence. However, the accused had reached her aunt’s house and shot her to death.

A case has been registered against the accused, Dalbir Singh, and two of his accomplices. While one of the accused has been apprehended, the police are on a hunt for the main accused and his other accomplice. A case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code has been filed against the accused and his accomplices.

According to the National Crime Reports Bureau (NCRB) data for 2021, 9,285 cases of stalking have been recorded in India. The number of cases has seen an increase compared to previous years. However, experts suggest that the actual figures might be higher because stalking crimes are mostly underreported. Due to the fear of being stigmatised, blamed, and even ostracised by society, many women and their families do not disclose stalking crimes perpetrated against the women in their household. This mindset boosts the confidence of twisted men to commit such crimes.

Stalking, A Crime Not Romance!

With cinema having largely glorified stalking as the most sought-after method of wooing a woman of interest, it has pretty much become a hobby for many men. Men with no morals or values begin stalking women randomly for their own pleasure, regardless of the woman’s consent. It’s often seen as a heroic move to pursue her despite her dissent in the false hopes that she will eventually reciprocate because that's what happens in movies. However, reality is different, and women don’t usually fall for stalkers because stalking is a crime and not something to be "romanticised."

Men who’ve blindly imbibed the content cannot accept rejection, and some of them resort to violence when women turn them down. All this boils down to the need for teaching men the significance of consent in relationships, the introduction of stricter laws, and swifter action to combat stalking crimes. Society also needs to stop questioning what the woman did in order to "lure" the man behind her and instead address the actual problem—the sick-minded stalkers.

Views expressed by the author are their own

Suggested Reading: Stalking Isn't Romantic: A Simple Concept That Indian Men Can't Comprehend