“I was sexually harassed today. Yes, harassed by a man around 40 years old, while I was travelling back home in a bus, filled with 30-35 people. While I was taking naps sitting on the second last seat of the bus, the man made inappropriate moves towards me from the seat behind me. The moment I realised, I stood up from my seat, yelled and asked for his ID Proof, to which he obviously refused. I secured support from my co-passengers. He apologised.

My co-passengers told me to accept it, and let it go. But I decided otherwise. I decided not to let it go. I decided not to let an audacious eve-teaser to go free merely by apologising. And why to let it go? To allow him to make ‘apology’, a weapon, to get away? Because Eve-teasing is not that big an offence? To wait for him to convert into a rapist? Like really? Even a minor inappropriate conduct towards a woman without her consent is actionable.

I asked the bus driver to stop the bus on the next closest Police Station. I gained the support of a couple of my Co-passengers, and I am really grateful to them. I went to the Police Station. I gave a written complaint. The procedures I was made to abide by in the Police Station, were too not co-operative. Also, being a law student, I realised everything written in the Criminal Procedure Code is purely fictional. The accused was handed over to the Police. The FIR was lodged. But the happenings did not come to end. After some distance had been covered by the bus, it was stopped by some of accused’s acquaintances. They tried intimidating me, threatening me. Pointing to my character, they even professed that the accused is a father of two children and is, therefore, innocent.

They even went on alleging that I must be goofing around with various guys now and then, therefore my allegations have no sense of veracity. And only because he happens to be a father of two children he shall be presumed innocent. APPLAUSE! But, no matter what, I am, and I always will be glad that I did not let it go. And every time anything of such sort happens, I will always fight for it. Because eve-teasing is not a small offence.

P.S: Don’t wait for an eve-teaser to convert into a rapist. Take action even for the slightest inappropriate conduct towards you.”

#TakeActionAgainstEveTeasing #NoOffenceAgainstAWomanisSmall
#tohorrifiedtoletitgo

She shared her experience on Facebook:

Story By – Samya Gupta

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