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Molestation victim recalls horror, vows never to return
Police dept needs to pull up socks as law and order situation touches new lows. Leena Dhankhar reports.
The molestation of a girl on MG Road on New Year’s Eve has brought shame to the city and raised questions over policing in the city.
A rowdy mob of 30 boys clashed with the police after they were denied entry to bars and pubs.
Hundreds took to MG Road area post midnight, dancing and singing in the middle of the road.
Windscreens of more than two dozen cars were smashed, hooligans danced atop cars and traffic was held up, before some policemen baton-charged the crowd.
In the melee, around 30-40 men molested a 25-year-old BPO employee who works in Gurgaon. She had come from Delhi with her friend to a party. Some goons even tried to kidnap her.
Hindustan Times approached the victim and she recalled the horrific night and her resolution to not attend any parties in Gurgaon.
“I was horrified to see boys touching me and passing derogatory comments. They were many of them and they lifted me up. They were taking me away but the police saved me that night or I would not have been alive today,” she said.
An eyewitness, Rajesh Kumar, said, “They were touching her initially and ended up tearing her clothes. They were passing lewd remarks in the middle of the road. I was shocked to see what could happen on Gurgaon roads.”
It was when her friend approached the police, who were struggling to control the crowd, that two policemen rushed to the victim's rescue and got severely injured in the process.
The girl was saved in time and sent back home escorted by the police and her friend.
Another witness, Shailesh Sharma, said, “The police had to resort to lathicharge when the crowd started pelting stones when they were not allowed entry to a mall. There was a major fight on the road and it was scary to see how unsafe and insecure this so-called Millennium City is.”
Despite the police making efforts, there still seems to be a gap which needs to be filled.
The police will have to restore the lost confidence in residents with a strong action plan before hooligans take over and Gurgaon gets the ‘most unsafe city’ tag.
