Group of men molests, assaults 2 women in Delhi's Nehru Place; 4 detained: ‘Slapped us, tore our clothes’

The incident allegedly took place around 6:30am on Sunday, soon after the two women left a five-star hotel where one of them was working as an event manager.

A group of men allegedly physically assaulted and molested two women in their 20s in southeast Delhi’s Nehru Place area with the women saying that they pulled at their clothes, made suggestive remarks, and slapped them several times. The women further alleged that Delhi Police did not immediately file an FIR in the matter.

Four men from the group have been detained, while eight other men were questioned in connection with the incident, said police. (Hindustan Times/Representative)

Four men from the group have been detained, while eight other men were questioned in connection with the incident, said police.

DCP (southeast) Hemant Tiwari identified the accused as Md Fahad (28), Md Savej (45) and Md Arif (33) and Md Faheem (21).

The incident allegedly took place around 6:30am on Sunday, soon after the two left a five-star hotel where one of them was working as an event manager and stopped to have tea at a stall nearby. Police said they hail from Assam and Bihar.

‘We were helpless, they were drunk’

Speaking to HT, the woman from Assam said that, at the stall, two men started staring at them with one of them passing suggestive remarks and making obscene gestures. The other, then, walked up to the women and began hurling abuses.

“I told him to go away... But he stood even closer. I pushed him just to get some space. He got angry and called his friends (one in a car). There were seven to eight of them. They all surrounded us. We were helpless because there were so many of them and they were also drunk,” said the woman.

As dozens of people watched, the men then assaulted the women. “They slapped us many times. They pulled and even tore our clothes. They grabbed us. It was so traumatic and we had no help. After 5-10 minutes, we somehow managed to run from there,” she added.

Four men detained, eight questioned in case. (HT GFX)

The DCP said, “At around 7 am, a PCR Call was made. Immediately local police reached the spot which was a tea stall near a hotel in Nehru Place and found two women nearby.

Preliminary enquiry revealed that the victims were subjected to derogatory remarks and abuses which led to a physical altercation among the victims and accused. Both victims were escorted to AIIMS Hospital and their medical examination was done. CCTVs of nearby areas were thoroughly checked and many witnesses/passerby present during the incidents were identified.”

Did cops delay filing of FIR?

At the Kalkaji police station, however, the woman said the personnel there did not immediately file an FIR, forcing them to call SPUNER (Special Police unit for North-East Region) helpline. Even after an FIR was lodged, the woman alleged police did not give a copy and took no action as the accused stalked them when they left the police station.

At night, they called Delhi Police Northeast Representative (DPNER, Assam) and social activist Dr.Ghritashri Bhuyan Narula for help.

“I was at the police station at night and there were no senior police officers. The women told me the accused had contacted them on social media, issued threats and were stalking them. The female IO was not even available. The women were scared because the accused were still in the vicinity and knew where they lived. But the police had not done anything and no arrests were made on Sunday...,” Narula said.

Delhi Police denied that there was a delay in lodging the FIR and that the allegations against the staff are being probed. Tiwari said a case was lodged on Sunday itself under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 74 (assault or criminal force against a woman), 126(2) (wrongful restraint), 351(2) (criminal intimidation), 78 (stalking) and 3(5) (common intention).

The FIR in the case, accessed by HT, said one of the men even hit one of the victim’s with a bamboo stick. “While we were trying to escape the situation, they continued to forcefully stop our way. They threatened us (that) if we revealed anything about the situation we (would) face dire consequences.”