New terror in town: Miscreants in masks riding bikes trying to molest women in public

Criminal activities like burglary have increased manifold in the district since the lockdown. With this, another crime is on the rise. By wearing masks and riding bikes in groups, some mischievous young men are often trying to molest young women publicly walking on the streets. They find young women on desolate streets, come on bikes and touch private parts of their body as well as make vulgar remarks. The Police had arrested two people for allegedly groping two female students in Das Colony area. But in most cases, the girls do not speak up openly fearing humiliation and public shame. A girl had filed a case at the Sadar Police Station after a groping incident in Ambicapatty area a few days ago. This time yet another incident took place in the same area around noon on Saturday.

A girl from Sarada lane in Ambicapatty filed a case at Sadar Police Station on Sunday afternoon. According to her statement, she left her house at around 2.30 pm on Saturday to see off her relatives at the front of her lane. A few unfamiliar youths in the lane wearing masks began to observe her and also passed a couple of lewd remarks. The girl tried to go back without paying any attention to them. However, the youths followed her on their bikes. Two bikes were coming behind her while another passed her swiftly, took a u-turn and came towards her. Before she could figure out anything, a young man put his hand on her chest and groped her badly. She screamed and the miscreants fled the spot. The girl also ran to her house. However, the young woman was emotionally traumatised by the incident unable to process what had happened and narrated the whole incident to her family. They decided to report the incident to the police. A written FIR was filed at Silchar Sadar Police Station on Sunday afternoon.

Sharing the petrifying incident she wrote on her Facebook wall, “It has been almost 24 hours since the incident and I am still in pain. Yes, worse things happen to women but I feel it is my moral duty to share my story and make others aware of how unsafe Silchar has become for women. It could happen to anybody, anytime. We are not even safe in our own lane, in our own surroundings where we grew up. So many of us stay silent because of fear. But it is high time we speak against these atrocities. I feel it is my duty to let the administration know the state of women safety in Silchar. Young girls, adults like me, married women and even women of my grandmothers age are not safe in their own hometown. Functional CCTV cameras at every nook and corner, proper surveillance can ensure our safety. It is my Earnest request to DC Cachar and Superintendent of Police Cachar to look into the matter of women safety before worse things happen to us.”

It is high time we question what steps we have taken as a society to ensure adequate safety for women at their house or workplaces. Barak Valley was once touted as “The Island of Peace” by late PM Indira Gandhi. Ironically, peace is what’s gone from the place of late with an upsurge in anti social activities. The city has been seized by anarchists. The truth is an effective or efficient administration also can’t do anything unless we change our mentality towards women and parents play a great role in upbringing of their wards.