Delhi: 2 bikers harass woman rider; FIR after 10 days

A 21-year-old woman was allegedly chased, sexually harassed and pushed off her scooter by two men on a bike near Panchsheel Park Metro station on the night of September 11 while she was on her way home in Kalkaji

A 21-year-old woman was allegedly chased, sexually harassed and pushed off her scooter by two men on a bike near Panchsheel Park Metro station on the night of September 11 while she was on her way home in Kalkaji. She said she skidded for over 100 metres, suffering injuries. Ten days later, police have registered a case of rash driving against unknown persons.

The woman --a fourth-year student at a design institute in Okhla -- said that around midnight, two men on a bike began chasing her and passing remarks (Shutterstock)

The woman --a fourth-year student at a design institute in Okhla -- said that around midnight, two men on a bike began chasing her and passing remarks. “When I tried to get away by moving ahead on my scooter, the two men followed me, came up beside me and kept mumbling something,” she said.

Police said the suspects then pushed her with their bike and fled, but the woman lost balance and fell off the scooter, skidding for about 100-150 metres on a stretch strewn with stones and mud, according to her complaint.

She recalled that two other men on a scooter came to her rescue and took her to a hospital nearby. “They told me they had been watching the two men harass me and wanted to help, but before they could act, the two bikers pushed me,” she said.

The family, however, decided to take her to Kanpur -- where her extended family lives. “I am undergoing treatment here and am bedridden for the next two months due to a serious foot injury. I have suffered massive cuts and bleeding. I continue to suffer pain, trauma and distress because of this incident,” she said.

After a PCR call was made, police contacted the woman on September 12 and she narrated the incident to the official on call, but she said there was no action after that. On September 15, her friends, through a lawyer, submitted a complaint at Hauz Khas police station as she was in Kanpur. “They called me and asked me to come in person despite being informed that I am bedridden. There was no word after that,” she told HT.

Subsequently, on Tuesday, she said police contacted her and registered a case based on the general diary entry.

A police officer aware of the matter said the woman was contacted multiple times to come and lodge her complaint, but she did not. “We had informed her to give a written statement herself, but she didn’t turn up, citing health reasons,” the officer said.

Deputy commissioner of police (south) Anant Mittal said a case was registered under Section 281 (rash driving) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). He said that when the PCR call was received around 1am, police reached the location, the injured woman had already been taken to Max Hospital, Saket, where police learnt that she had been discharged at her own request.

“The injured woman was subsequently contacted by the police and she informed us that she was proceeding to another hospital. Police teams have been trying to verify the circumstances and establish the exact sequence of events,” Mittal said.

He said the woman’s cousin also visited Hauz Khas police station on September 14 and was shown the available CCTV footage, but she could not identify the woman or the alleged person involved in the incident from the footage. “A lawyer claiming to represent the injured woman subsequently approached the police on September 15. The woman was contacted again and she informed the police that she would come to Delhi after recovering,” Mittal said.