Page 1 of 1
TOI intern escapes kidnap bid in Gurgaon
Posted: Wed May 11, 2016 2:36 pm
by mundaire
This type on incident yet again highlights the need for women to be armed and prepared to defend themselves.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city ... 215744.cms
TOI intern escapes kidnap bid in Gurgaon
TNN | May 11, 2016, 07.50 AM IST
Gurgaon: Tanya Shrivastava, a 21-year-old journalism student who is on a summer internship with The Times of India, had just stepped out of the TOI office in Gurgaon's Udyog Vihar and was walking down an unlit road when an auto stopped beside her. Its driver grabbed her arm and tried to pull her in.
The auto had been following her for a while, sneaking up slowly behind her, taking advantage of the dark stretch.
The driver's first move was to offer her a free ride. When she said no, he lunged at her. She screamed so loud that other people on the road stopped, and the auto sped away. She immediately dialled the women's helpline number, 1091, but couldn't connect when she needed it most.
The following is her account, which exposes the government's extreme apathy towards ensuring something as basic as streetlights that work and helpline numbers that are accessible at all times. "Like most north Indian cities, Gurgaon isn't a place that makes women commuting alone feel safe, particularly at night. My mother often gets worried about me walking to the Moulsari Avenue Rapid Metro station from my office in Udyog Vihar Phase-3 every evening. But the 1km walk had never worried me during my short stay in Gurgaon, except for the streetlights that I wished were functional. On May 9, this confidence was shattered. It was around 8pm when I started my walk to the Metro from the office. I was on the road opposite Trident hotel when I heard an auto creeping up behind me.
I could not step off the road to the kerb to avoid walking in front of the auto. Stacked with felled trees, the pavement was inaccessible. The auto driver asked me where I wanted to go and offered a ride. I declined and kept walking. But my reply had no effect on him. He kept following me, appearing to grow in confidence in the same darkness that made me break into cold sweat. I was scared. The horror stories I had heard about experiences of other women swam in my head.
He kept telling me he was going in the same direction as I was even though I never mentioned where I was headed. He kept telling me I should take the ride. When I didn't respond, he switched to English, saying, "I am being kind to you. I will not ask for money."
I pretended not to hear and walked on, but the rising fear made me walk faster, which was a giveaway that I was afraid. The auto driver probably sensed that and made a lunge at me, grabbing my arm to pull me inside. I jumped back in shock and screamed, as loudly as I could. There were some others walking on the road who stopped to see what had happened. The sudden attention forced the driver to speed away.
I tried to note down the number but could only catch the first two digits, a 7 and a 9, in the darkness before he took a left turn on to NH-8. I knew he would be long gone by the time I could alert the cops but I still tried the women' helpline, 1091. It was one of the few numbers my mother had made me remember before I shifted to Delhi. Typing in the number, I waited for the call to connect. It didn't go through in the first attempt. In the second, there were a couple of rings and then silence. Maybe, it was a bad signal. I could not get through.
Not knowing what to do next but very sure that I wasn't going to hang around there, I started walking briskly towards the Metro station. It was only after I entered the area under CCTV surveillance that I felt safe.
Re: TOI intern escapes kidnap bid in Gurgaon
Posted: Wed May 11, 2016 2:59 pm
by spin_drift
mundaire wrote:This type on incident yet again highlights the need for women to be armed and prepared to defend themselves.
Not just women, but everyone.
http://www.jantakareporter.com/india/ut ... oida/44911
Re: TOI intern escapes kidnap bid in Gurgaon
Posted: Wed May 11, 2016 3:30 pm
by chicky
Whereas I agree that women and others , as well, should be ready in self protection, but is arming oneself with Guns, the only solution?
I am not expecting nor asking too much from the Police , as I feel they are grossly understaffed and sometimes overworked. However simple things like better street lighting , making offices responsible for safety of their women employees if they work late, and even better availability of pepper spray and their use would go a long way.
Metropolitan cities , unfortunately have their own ups and downs, and the only way we can be safe is by being AWARE and being conscious of our surroundings.
Chicky
Re: TOI intern escapes kidnap bid in Gurgaon
Posted: Wed May 11, 2016 5:31 pm
by spin_drift
chicky wrote:Whereas I agree that women and others , as well, should be ready in self protection, but is arming oneself with Guns, the only solution?
I am not expecting nor asking too much from the Police , as I feel they are grossly understaffed and sometimes overworked. However simple things like better street lighting , making offices responsible for safety of their women employees if they work late, and even better availability of pepper spray and their use would go a long way.
Metropolitan cities , unfortunately have their own ups and downs, and the only way we can be safe is by being AWARE and being conscious of our surroundings.
Chicky
A gun is the most effective and efficient tool available for exercising ones right to self-defense as and when the need arises (although some of us would prefer a light saber, but alas, they have not been invented yet
) and that is why the police are equipped with them.
Talking about having better street lighting and making offices responsible, etc, to curb crime is nothing, but just some sanctimonious, repurposed bovine bowel movement it will not make any significant difference. Just to illustrate, these sort of crimes have happened in broad daylight and well.
Secondly, you also need to understand the cause of such crimes and the cause is very simple. The perpetrator knows that the victim in most of the cases would be unarmed and will not be able to put up any significant resistance, now if you start arming the would be victims that would take away the initiative from the perpetrator as the perpetrator would know that the probability of getting shot in the face, during the commission of such a crime, would be rather high.
And I agree with you on one being AWARE and conscious of ones surroundings so that when one needs to use ones gun to exercising ones right to self-defense, one does not end up hitting any innocent bystanders.
Re: TOI intern escapes kidnap bid in Gurgaon
Posted: Wed May 11, 2016 7:44 pm
by chicky
Dear spin_drift,
I understand your sentiments and will not debate them, however it is my opinion that pepper spray is definitely a better option in the cities. It immobilises atleast 2 attackers and gives one time to escape. Also saves you the legal issues that follow a shooting. Personally I love guns and shooting but I have also seen the ugly side of it.
Anyway, we both agree that being aware and not take chances, is the best way to be safe.
Cheers,
Re: TOI intern escapes kidnap bid in Gurgaon
Posted: Thu May 12, 2016 11:37 am
by ganeshn
chicky wrote:Whereas I agree that women and others , as well, should be ready in self protection, but is arming oneself with Guns, the only solution?
I am not expecting nor asking too much from the Police , as I feel they are grossly understaffed and sometimes overworked. However simple things like better street lighting , making offices responsible for safety of their women employees if they work late, and even better availability of pepper spray and their use would go a long way.
Metropolitan cities , unfortunately have their own ups and downs, and the only way we can be safe is by being AWARE and being conscious of our surroundings.
Chicky
in life n death situation or in a case of attempted rape or scenario like above a determined attacker can disarm a girl with pepper spray in a ridiculous way.the strength of a girl is equivalent of a 8 year old boy, most would even struggle to support even their body weight in a off balance situation and collapse like a ton of bricks(low power to weight ratio) now consider a determined attacker with a tamancha the balance is even more skewed.
police and the well meaning gov. cannot cover all the situations BTW there is no concept of street lighting in small towns or villages.
i do not know if innocent women raped during the jat protest got justice( do not know after a rape there is one though) and how the top lady police officer kept denying any such thing happened at all.
being aware is very crucial but if there is no light on the only route to say a railway station or a fixed bus route you don't have options( assume that the victim is unemployed and heading from relatives place back home), most often you don't choose the attacker the attacker chooses you at his liking of place and time.
one statistics in united states show that some 80% cases victims saved themselves the danger by threatening to shoot the attacked and the attacker escaped, that is when a good fail proof weapon for self defense acts as excellent deterrent.
Re: TOI intern escapes kidnap bid in Gurgaon
Posted: Thu May 12, 2016 2:25 pm
by nagarifle
i am glad that noting worse happened to her and she was safe and sound. how many will not be ?
police should be sued for lack of providing what they promised. have we not given them the right to protect us? they failed.
pepper spray? only good for a second or so. most of us eat peppers on daily bases and will not effect every one in the same way. its should be the first line of defense if it does not work then dial .375
Re: TOI intern escapes kidnap bid in Gurgaon
Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2016 6:48 pm
by RoyalSingh
Completely agree with proponents of Guns for Self defense.
Its actually the notion of perpetrator's dominance over helpless situation of the prey that leads to violence.
Arming oneself could be the most self empowering act and deterrence in the first place.
Even Indian Ordinance had launched one women special gun called Nirbheek some time back for the purpose.
I think its high time that guns reach the responsible hands in India.
Regards