“Around 8:50 pm, I was waiting for an auto at the Panchsheel Enclave bus stop. Suddenly, a big car with about 5-6 men slowed down beside me. I could hear them giggle and mouth something but I looked away and did not react. Within seconds one of them aimed at me with a water gun. Before I knew it, my kurti was drenched in water. I threw the bottle I had in my hand on their car, ran towards them and yelled at them to stop, but they managed to flee. I noted down the car’s number before it vanished.

There were 8-9 men at the bus stop and about 2-3 standing at a distance. Not one of them came to help. I stood there for a few seconds, stunned, making sense of what had happened. I was robbed of my respect and I felt like I had no right to my own body. People looked and carried on with whatever they were doing like it was routine for them.

After a few minutes I found an auto and headed to the Hauz Khas police station. I managed to file a complaint; but according to the police, the chances of tracing the miscreants down are bleak. The number that I noted down was apparently not enough for them. They questioned me as to why I wasn’t alert enough to see the exact color, model and number of the car. After 15-20 minutes, I was asked to go home. The sub-inspector who filed my complaint constantly gave me this look as if I was a fool to complain about such an issue.

While coming back I wanted to scream, shout, and cry my lungs out. I was hoping to encounter them again so that I could smash their faces and kick the hell out of them. I wasn’t scared – just plain angry. The fact that this wasn’t the first time it was happening enraged me even more. I was reminded of all such incidents I had encountered as a child and a teenager, which were perhaps worse. I reminisced about my friend who was once attacked by sperm-filled balloons in broad daylight.

Just like most other women, I tried hard forgetting about these incidents, but couldn’t.

Holi, a festival I used to thoroughly enjoy as a kid has become something I fear and dread. More than anything else, it enrages me to the core that some men molest, bully, and harass women on the streets. What is more appalling is the causality with which such incidents are dealt. We have normalised such behaviour.

Here’s a message to all the guys out there: There is something known as CONSENT. Eve-teasing is not cool. It’s just not cool. What fun do you derive out of all this? It might not sound like a big deal. But it is, trust me, it is! A little bit of sensitivity won’t hurt.

This is for all the cheap idiots out there: You’ve made our lives miserable. Thanks to you, a beautiful festival like Holi has been ruined for most of the girls out there. Half of them have been traumatised by such experiences and the other half is asked to stay at home to avoid experiencing what other have.

This is for all the onlookers: When such incidents happen, PLEASE HELP. Don’t just stand and pretend like nothing happened.

This is for all the women: All of us have been taught to ignore such things and move on. Why? Why should we not step out of our houses? Why can’t these criminals be put behind bars instead? Don’t shy away from expressing yourselves. BE LOUD. BE BOLD. BE STUBBORN.

Hooliganism on Holi is rampant. We all know it. But I just can’t seem to understand that why are we okay with all this. Why can’t such cases be taken seriously? How do these men get away so easily? Why are they not ashamed of themselves? ‘Till when is all this going to go on? Is it ever even going to stop?

Why doesn’t consent matter? Why?”

Here’s the post she shared on her Facebook profile:

Story By – Aakanksha Sehrawat

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