Women getting harassed in public transport is unfortunately a very normalised concept. Every time women silently move away to avoid the situation, the harasser’s ego gets satisfied, and they’ll continue to harass other women. But doesn’t this have to stop? Don’t women deserve to commute peacefully?
A young woman who was recently travelling in a bus in Ernakulam district, Kerala, got an assaulter arrested by the police after he misbehaved and exposed his private parts to her.
The accused was recently released from prison, and the way he was welcomed has stirred another controversy on social media. A men's rights activist group welcomed the man by garlanding him projecting him as a hero. If this is the way perpetrators are treated upon their release, how will they even realise what they did was a mistake and regret it? What will stop them from committing the same offence again? Won't this encourage potential offenders to engage in problematic behaviour?
This insanity is happening for the second time, following the convicts in the Balkis Bano case, who were welcomed from prison with aartii and garlands. Is social consciousness too much to ask of society?
Kerala Woman Videographs Harasser
The woman was travelling on a bus by the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) to Kochi from Thrissur when the accused, later identified as Sayad KK, came and sat beside her. Initially, he engaged in a decent conversation. After some time, the woman reported that he began touching her inappropriately, unzipped his pants, and exposed his genitals to her.
Thoughtfully, the woman recorded the indecent behaviour of the accused on her mobile phone. The initial part of the video clearly showed that the zip of his pants was open. The woman revealed that when she raised her voice and questioned him, he got up from his seat.
The conductor of the bus came forward and questioned the accused. As soon as the bus stopped, the accused denied the accusation and ran away. But fortunately, the conductor and driver extended timely support by chasing behind him and nabbing him.
The accused was taken into custody by the Nedumbassery police and booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. He was later produced before a local court, after which he was remanded to police custody. Local television channels also broadcast the man’s visuals, thus revealing his identity.
The woman posted the video of the accused harassing her and narrated the incident on her Instagram handle. She shared that after posting the incident, several women came forward and DM'd her, saying they'd also faced similar harassment while travelling by bus. Towards the end of the video, she said, "I’m happy that I reacted. The next time he will be scared to unzip his pants to harass a woman." She also shared that a woman law student on the bus accompanied her to the police station when she went to register a complaint.
This is the kind of support system that every woman needs. This is the kind of society that women wish for to lead a happy, peaceful, and safe life! This is the kind of courage that women ought to have!
It's refreshing and inspiring to see a fellow woman choosing to stand up for herself instead of silently enduring harassment. It’s empowering to see the conductor and the driver extend timely support. Now that’s what we call allies, whom we can rely on to smash the patriarchy.
It’s heartening to see a fellow woman rise to the occasion in the spirit of sisterhood.
The woman who dared to speak up for herself is definitely the hero! Not all of us might have reacted the same way because we haven't been encouraged to fight back. We have only been taught to adjust and silently distance ourselves from trouble. But only when women begin portraying courage will potential offenders develop a fear.
This incident will instil a fear in men that they too will be named, shamed, and penalised if they ever dare to harass women! Abusers need to be terrified of not just women but society as a whole. Only when they realise that they will be held accountable and that the entire society will be against them, will they stop having the audacity to commit crimes against women. It’s time to change the narrative!
Suggested Reading: Kolkata Woman Drags Molester To Cops: Redefining How Women Counter Harassment
Image Credits: Screengrab from Mastaanii via Instagram
/shethepeople/media/agency_attachments/iUYfaBbcMozaYLoGnoov.png)
Follow Us/shethepeople/media/post_banners/nl8zSyq1xHu43QgIAxHJ.jpg)