A 51-year-old businessman was stabbed to death for objecting to some men harassing his daughter in West Delhi’s Moti Nagar area on May 12. The 21-year-old son of the businessman has also been admitted in a hospital in a critical condition. The four perpetrators, including two minors, have been taken into custody. A case has been filed under Indian Penal Code sections pertaining to murder, criminal intimidation and acts insulting the modesty of a woman.
What had happened?
On Sunday, Dhruv Tyagi was returning home with his 22-year-old daughter around 2 am when three men made lewd gestures at the woman. The father-daughter duo were returning home from a hospital on a scooter when the incident took place.
Dhruv dropped his daughter home and returned to the spot to confront the abusers and their father, who resided in the neighbourhood. However, worried about her father’s safety, the woman sent her brother after him.
Not hearing from them for a while, the daughter rushed to the spot to discover that the confrontation had snowballed into a fight. “I found them attacking my father and brother with stones… they even threatened to get a gun and shoot us all. I begged them to stop, but they grabbed me by the neck and pulled my hair. I saw them stabbing my father and brother with knives,” she said, as reported by NDTV.
Passersby remained apathetic
According to the victim’s family, passersby remained indifferent and unmoved throughout the incident, and recorded it on their mobile phones instead of coming forward to help.
The only neighbour who tried to intervene, said, “I rescued the daughter first. There were other people at the spot too – watching, taking videos on their mobile phones – but none of them wanted to help. I somehow managed to take the father to the hospital, but it was too late already.”
Condemning the incident in a tweet, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal wrote, “The Delhi Police must take strongest action against the guilty.”
Delhi police must take strongest action against the guilty https://t.co/pDjXKRWdjw
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) May 14, 2019
The deceased owned an electronics business and is survived by his elderly parents, his wife and two children.
A local resident complained that the area gets too unsafe at night, with people getting drunk and coming out on the streets and that is why she always ensures she returns home before 8 pm.
Politicisation
While requesting Home Minister Rajnath Singh to give a job to the kin of the victim, Union Minister Vijay Goel said, “One of the reasons behind the rise in crime in Delhi is that Rohingya Muslims from Bangladesh are coming in large numbers.”
However, the victim’s family is upset over the fact that the incident is being given communal colour. “It annoys me to see political parties and leaders making statements over the issue. It is a clear case of ruthless killing started with abusing a girl. The accused could have been from any religion. All we need is justice,” said Tapeshwar Tyagi, Dhruv’s brother.
The Logical Indian take
This incident brings back the disturbing memory of another similar incident that had taken place in West Bengal in 2011. Rajib Das, a minor, was stabbed to death at Kachhari Maidan in Barasat for protesting against men who were harassing his elder sister while they were on their way back home.
This harrowing incident had taken place in a locality surrounded by the residences of district magistrate, superintendent of police, additional district magistrate and additional superintendent of police. Rajib’s sister ran from one house to another, pleading for help while his brother was being stabbed, but all her pleas went unanswered.
It is unfortunate, to say the least, that women across the country still have to check their watch and ensure they get home early enough to escape harassers on the streets. But what is more harrowing is the lack of concern on the part of people who actually witnessed the incident but refused to help. While scores of people had the time to film videos and take pictures of the recent incident, nobody cared enough to protest against what was happening. A little concern and humanity could have ended up saving a life.
The Logical Indian urges authorities to take strict action against the accused.
Also Read: Vijayapura: All Women Police Squad Set To Tackle The Increasing Menace Of Eve-Teasing
