Stand Up Against Eve Teasing- An Initiative

I was sitting in the library reading about social issues when a colleague of mine came and told me to attend
the Stand Up Against Eve Teasing Seminar which was being held in the SIU auditorium. I was surprised
because I only read success stories of voices being heard in moral lectures and not in reality but the Eve
teasing Campaign in Pune took a different turn .

It was about two-three months back , when two students from the Symbiosis Institute Of Media and
Communication who themselves were victims of eve- teasing decided that the bucks stop here . They took
up an extensive drive to raise awareness among fellow city people , coordinate with the police forces and
also address the issues of various girls in Pune who didn’t stand up till now because of the taboo attached
to this issue . A few students joined the initiative and now it is a well-known and highly appreciated
movement . They created a virtual impact with their page on Facebook exceeding 1000 members not only
from Pune but also other cities of the country . Now they tried to bring the issues to the larger masses and
also to give the people and the victims of the city to interact with the Deputy Commissioner of Police who
would address their issue .

The seminar on Stand Up Against Eve Teasing started with the welcoming of the chief guest DCP Sanjay
Jhadhav along with Tejaswini – from the Pune based NGO Saheli and the HR head of Baja Alliance Rupa
Kocchar who were the official sponsors for the seminar .There was documentary shown to the audience
and the guests which was made with the statements of victims of various incidents of eve-teasing in and
around the area of Viman Nagar . There have been many instances of eve-teasing cases in these areas
and the main grievances of the ladies had been that the police didn’t follow up the case, problem of the
policemen insisting on speaking local language i.e. marathi or blamed them indirectly or didn’t respond at
all .The response of the Quick Response Team (QRT) was never quick and the eve-teasers always got
away . There had been cases where the girls had to be also hospitalized . It became a serious menace and
the students of our college decided to take the responsibility on their shoulders .

The Deputy Commissioner of Police admitted the mistake “partially” . He was of the view that the
statements that the response of the police team was an hour or two late , had to be first verified and only
then could he comment on it . As far as he was aware the response time of the team was 7-8 minutes
maximum . He also informed the audience that if there is a hospital case there are some legalities which
have to be followed and only then can the police files a complaint . He met with serious opposition from the
audience when he said that during the inspection of the area he could see girls dressed in “objectionable
clothes” . A girl has the right to wear whatever she is comfortable in , the police is not here to teach morals
but to protect the citizens . One of the audience members pointed out that the dress code in that area is
mainly salwar kameez- Indian Formals – and still there were cases of eve-teasing . Mr. Jhadhav
immediately tried to explain his stand that he meant the dressing inappropriately accelerates the situation –
that’s what he meant nothing else.

Some of the measures Mr. Jhadhav gave were that they are trying to train their staff , identify the similar
incidents , increasing the patrolling staff of that area, applying the new formula of Prevention and
Detection , inculcating confidence in the Police department, help from various associations like Mahila
Sahayaa Mandal , getting in touch with the municipal corporation and getting more street lights installed in
the area . He also raised the point that there was a lack of man force in the police department and hence
the members have to multi task – from handling vehicle thefts to terrorists, challans to eve-teasing , etc and
hence it becomes difficult for them to manage the situation at times. He accepted the mistakes made by the
police department and also offered his apologies .

Though there were many questions that were thrown at him , some serious issues of misconduct by the
police men , and inappropriate questioning by the officers were also taken up. He assured that for all these
issues there are separate bodies in the police department , stringent action would be taken against all the
defaulters .He also mentioned that the present society situation, films , media are also contributing in
aggravating the situation and corrupting the mentality of the men and turning them towards eve-teasing .

The seminar ended with a hope and a promise by the Deputy Commissioner that the situation would be
better from now on and that every lady present in that auditorium felt safe . This was a true example of
how a small group of the youth can change the entire scenario and how people looked at it. The problem of
eve-teasing prevailed since many years but nothing was done about it. When the youth decided to bring it
to the fore front and change the way people look at the situation , they found success. These young
individuals conducted many polls , surveys, held a seminar and organized the whole movement – good
example that if the youth now wants to do something about a issue that nudges him, he can make the
whole world turn around and look. I would request the girls of our generation to come forward and take
courage like these ladies and speak up against eve teasing . We need to make sure that there are laws
made against such offences because even in the Indian penal code there is no stringent measure for these
crimes . We need to be aware of the how the police machinery works and utilize it . The youth now has to
get up and stand up against such social issues because it is they who can make an impact, this small
group has shaken and woken up entire Pune , its time we start too .We need t stand up and fight . Take
example and follow .