Next time, dare to think North-East girls as your easy prey

Angomcha Chingkhei Meitei *

Today, I witnessed something which could set as a warning example to all the goons/badmash, not dare to think NE girls as an easy prey. I was standing at the crossing of FICCI chowk. All the people were going like running must be rushing for office. The incident happened during this peak hour of 10 a.m.

After seeing off one of my friend at New Delhi Railway Station, the only thought which come to my mind was to complete my last night incomplete sleep. The train got delayed due to winter fog, so I can't return back leaving her alone in the railway platform. Above all, she was in great tense, as she was going to attend a conference at Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management, IITTM, Gwalior. It is a known fact that women are not safe at all in the present day Delhi. So, I was compelled to stay with her until she boarded the train.

After much delayed, the train finally arrived. The only advice at the time of giving adieu was to protect not only her belongings but herself too from co passengers. Few days back, a North East woman who was travelling in an AC class was molested by their co traveler, taking advantage of being lonely and her look.

Being a regular at Kamani Auditorium, I was thinking of checking out the forth coming plays. Also, I was about to buy a book on "Histology" by Majumdar. Mingling in between, I reached FICCI chowk. At reaching there, I decided to go Auditorium first and so I started moving towards it. Five/six metres ahead, some young guys were passing dirty comments to a girl going ahead of them.

I couldn't hear the exact words but it was sure, they were teasing her. This scene continued for about 15 minutes. After reaching the corner of the road, the girl suddenly stopped at there and stood still as if waited for the boys to come closer to her.

Noticing this gesture, the boys looked at each other, nodded their heads, and must be thinking the girl was giving a chance. All of the sudden the girl turned around, bring out a spray and sprayed to the eyes of the guys following her.

With irritated eyes, all the boys cried loudly and were marching towards the girl. To my surprised, the girl turns out to be from North East.
-"Khangbra" was the only word uttered loudly from her mouth after spraying.

Hearing the cry of the guys all the people around gathered and started asking what had happened. But none of them came forward to help the girl in trouble, instead kept passing nonsense comments. The girl brought out her mobile from her bag and was dialing, must be 100.

After a brief conversation, must be about what had happened, the girl made turned on the loud-speaker mode of her mobile. The control room was repeatedly asking the place and landmark where the incident was happening. Hearing the talk between the girl and police, all the people gathered around started reducing in number.

Those boys also get lost in the dispersed crowd. The girl was alone now. Working down the lane for a short while, stopped an auto and left the place. I was there for the next 30 minutes, but not even a single policeman arrived at the spot.

I just wonder what will happen if the girl did not possess a spray or the incident happen at wee hour. How easily the culprits get away without getting any punishment for their unforgiving acts! All the time, every girl cannot go out with a spray for their safety.

Brave and Good act by a Manipuri girl in a city famous for its crime against women.

Few months back, another brave incident also happened in front of me. I was waiting for someone there at Green Park Main Market. It was around 6.30 p.m. A working Manipuri girl, must be around 28 year old, was stopping auto.

After trying many autos, finally one agreed to drop her. After driving for a while two guys at their early twenties stopped the auto. I was just watching them. There were heated arguments between them. Now I can no longer be a simple spectator.

I rushed there and inquired about what had happened. The girl told me everything and in-between there approached a PCR van. Seeing the PCR van, the two guys left the auto in a great speed.

The guys were forcing her to board the auto along with her. That too sharing the back seat with them. When she protested, they started passing in lewd languages. With no one to protect her at the moment, she just dialed 100. Seeing me approaching to help her, she cancelled the call.

Such incidents are quite common in Delhi now-a-days. With rape and molestation cases happening in the capital with increasing numbers day by day, the capital needs a stringent law. North East girls are easy target, taking advantage of the different look, and independent nature, and not the least, the language barriers.

Last year, in 2008, there came up a North East Cell, trying and helping North East people here in the capital, but due to lack of publicity or co-ordination, not all the NE people are aware of it.

Or do not know how to and where to approach them at the time of need. Please update your office address if any, and the contact numbers of the respective office bearers at a regular interval at newspapers or internet so that at need of the hour they can call up you or reach to your office.