New Delhi: How safe is it for a woman to venture out at night in the national capital? CNN-News18 conducted a social experiment to answer this question. Cameras followed our women journalists as they took to the city’s roads, recording the unwelcome male attention. Akshata Kumbar was one of the journalists who participated in the Delhi segment of the social experiment.
She visited the Vasant Vihar market, a popular hangout known to the city’s youth as the Priya complex at 9pm on a weekday. As soon as he entered the market area of the posh locality, a man in a white shirt and blue jeans started following her.
After stalking her for some distance, he came up to her and tried to strike up a conversation. Even when told plainly that his presence was unwelcome, he refused to take ‘no’ for an answer.
Here’s a transcript of the conversation that any civilised society would dub as harassment but which sadly passes of as ‘the normal’ in India.
Stalker: What’s you name?
Akshata: Why do you want to know?
Stalker: I just wanted to know a little about you and be friends with you.
Akshata: Why? Have you been following me?
Stalker: Honestly, I was staring at you. I like you. I want to chat with you.
Akshata: I want you to leave now.
Stalker: I want you phone number.
With much difficulty, Akshata managed to get rid of the man. Throughout this ordeal, the police were a mere 50 metres away from the spot, which is probably why the stalker didn’t linger around.
Clearly, a lot needs to be done in making Delhi, notorious as the ‘rape capital’ of India, safer for its women citizens.
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