Two days back I sat in the usually noisy dining hall. All eyes around me were
glued to the (noisier) TV, which was showing two girls from Rohtak, Haryana
beating two men on a bus, apparently in defence to the advances made by them.
The news channels had already declared that the boys were ‘molesters’ and the
girls were giving interviews in these channels. The channels ran shows on the
incident all day long (even the next day in fact). The girls became local
heroes, an inspiration to many, the Chief Minister of the state declared
bravery awards for the girls, importantly the news gave confidence to many
women to face such untoward behaviour by men courageously. This entire episode
transpired over just 48 hours. As much as I was happy that the two girls had
defended themselves from the wrongdoers without any help from others, I wanted
to know the whole story and the correct story and not what was being shown to
me by the news channels. Also I was curious to know why the onlookers in the
bus (highlighted repeatedly by the media) had not come to the girls’ aid?
Today, I got my answers when I read that some witnesses to the
incident that transpired on the bus, have submitted affidavits with the local
police saying that the boys had not done anything wrong and some reports say
that they had in fact stood up against the girls when they had demanded an old
woman to get up from her seat, so that they could occupy it. Their statements
bring fresh perspective and though the story still remains unclear as to why
the boys were subject to the wrath of those two girls, I was happy that people
are coming out and stating the truth (or lie). It is too early to judge who is
right and wrong, and I better leave that to whomever. I only want to tell that
there are always two sides to such stories and we, the janta, must not jump and
take sides with the more colourful version shown in the news etc. I am not a
male chauvinist, but let me go ahead and ask- “What if those jailed boys, who
were beaten up by those girls on the bus, are actually innocent?”
As a civilised society, we must prepare our women to face
perpetrators of crimes on them, but we can’t allow them to take advantage of
it. Forget men, what if they had beaten another woman for standing up against
them, or an old man or a little child?
Now, at the same time when the Rohtak incident was taking its
course, in Indore, MP, in the middle of India, there was a less televised
incident of similar kind transpiring. Only this time it was a man who beat
other men engaged in eve teasing. On receiving complaints from women and
schoolgirls in Malaharganj, their MLA (a male), from the ruling government,
trashed 15 eve teasers (who were on drugs too). The women, grateful for
receiving support, joined the MLA in beating the perpetrators. However, the
spokesperson of the opposition party of that state has called this incident a
‘law and order’ problem and has accused the MLA for taking law into his own
hands rather than report and leave such matters to the police. But hey, I am
confused.
Now, if the Rohtak girls are right for what they did, then
shouldn’t the MLA be more right for what he did? But, if the MLA is wrong for
what he did, then are the women who joined him also wrong?
