Lucknow Woman Thrashing Car Driver Puts Spotlight On Violence Against Men

The Lucknow Police booked a woman on Monday, August 2, for beating a cab driver on the road over rash driving. The driver filed an FIR against the woman at the Krishna Nagar police station three days after the incident.

The video of the incident was circulated on social media, creating an uproar among netizens. On Twitter, #arrestlucknowgirl has been trending for the past two days.

Beaten In Presence Of Cops

On Friday, July 30, driver Saadat Ali Siddiqui stopped his cab while the woman, identified as Priyadarshini N. Yadav, was crossing the road at Nahariya Chauraha traffic signal.

Enraged over it, Yadav asked him to get out of the vehicle and started beating him. The woman could be seen slapping him in the video, pulling him with force and slapping time and again in the middle of the road, while the latter did not retaliate.

The onlookers and a cop standing on the side did not stop Yadav from beating Siddiqui, despite the man asking for help multiple times. The woman also allegedly snatched Siddiqui's cellphone and smashed it into pieces.

Woman Claims Negligence

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (central) Chiranjeev Nath Sinha informed that the team rushed to the spot after they were informed about the scuffle and brought the duo station for questioning.

According to The Indian Express report, Yadav claimed that Siddiqui was driving rashly and in negligence when she was crossing the road and then stopped immediately infront of her, causing her a minor injury. Had she not acted immediately, she could have been severely injured, she added.

Siddiqui had three friends in his car, and all were brought to the police station. They were booked on charges of breach of peace after an altercation with the woman. Reportedly, the driver was also issued a challan. They were later produced before the magistrate, which released them.

An FIR was registered against the driver, but no action was initiated against the woman. She was released the same day over a surety and warning of not indulging in such activities in future.

Later, on Sunday, when the incident video went viral, senior police officials gathered details on the matter with Krishna Nagar Police Station, followed by the FIR registered against the woman.

Siddiqui is a resident of Chowk locality in Lucknow, and Yadav is a resident of the Krishna Nagar area.

Violence Against Men

In a general point of view, violence is discussed in context with women, with the man being the perpetrator, which is true to the core, given the number of incidents we witness everyday in India and worldwide.

But violence against men exists; however, they are underreported. This is also because of the socio-economic changes and the gendered roles we have established, due to which many have become silent victims of the consequences.

Gender roles are very rigid in a country like India, and the rigidity gives rise to gender biases and stereotypical notions. Due to this, the genuine cases of violence against men go unreported and unattended.

NCRB Data 2019

False cases and allegations against men have seen a significant rise over the years. According to the NCRB report of 2019, over 1,25,657 men were acquitted from these gender-biased laws.

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