As Guwahati and the rest of the world celebrated the onset of the New Year, the very first night saw an untoward incident of sexual harassment against a young woman go down in the city.
The 18-year-old woman hailing a two-wheeler ride from Guwahati's West Jyoti Nagar to Lachit Nagar on January 1 (Monday) at night, reported facing sexual harassment at the hands of the rider. The ride was booked through the ride-hailing app Uber, she mentioned in an FIR filed with the Chandmari Police in Guwahati.
The woman said that midway through the journey, the rider of the two-wheeler started touching her inappropriately against her consent. He also did not stop the vehicle after she repeatedly asked him to do so, the complaint added.
Gripped by fear, she removed her helmet and hit the rider to make him stop when the people nearby came to her aid, the complainant added in the FIR.
The FIR copy, accessed by Pratidin Time reads, "I [name withheld], was traveling from West Jyoti Nagar, Govt Press Road, House No 21 to Lachit Nagar in Uber Moto (AS 01 FE 9202). Near Krishna Nagar Road, the rider was touching inappropriately my private parts."
"I was repeatedly asking him to stop but he refused. Then, in my self-defence, I removed my helmet and hit him to stop him. That's when the local public came and helped me," the complainant added.
Women's safety has been a major topic of discussion in both political, as well as policing annuls of the state. However, such an incident on the very first night of the new year highlights that even as criminal activities have declined overall, ensuring the safety of women in Guwahati still remains a hurdle to overcome.
