'No one is asking for it, neither me, nor the girls from North India or Assam'

'No one is asking for it, neither me, nor the girls from North India or Assam'
'No one is asking for it, neither me, nor the girls from North India or Assam'
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The News Minute | January 14, 2014 | 01:00 pm IST As if being sexually assaulted was not enough of an ordeal by itself, one Bengaluru woman allegedly also got to experience police insensitivity first hand when she went to register a complaint. 22-year-old Sumitha (name changed) wrote about her experience from that day on a Facebook post recently. On Monday night, Sumitha was returning home, on her bike, after dinner. She was near HSR Layout when the incident took place. A man, 'who had cleverly concealed his face by tying a handkerchief around it', started following her on his bike. The man, she wrote, tried to push her bike with one hand. When she did not fall, he groped her. She 'was shaken beyond measure'. She did try to chase him, but in vain. Sumitha returned home, and along with her father headed to the nearest police station in Sector 1, HSR Layout. When she explained what had happened, she was allegedly told by the policeman on duty that the issue did not fall under their jurisdiction and that she should approach the Madiwala Police Station. However, things somehow changed when Sumitha's father told the cops that he was a journalist. "He (a cop) said he would send a message on their network to alert the surrounding patrols and also said he would also inform the Madiwala police station under whose jurisdiction it falls". Sumitha and father were then given a 'lecture about how since North Indian girls have come here, things have really changed and how they are "provoking such things" and are "asking for it".Speaking to The News Minute, Sumitha said, "It was not as if the policeman was impolite or rude with us. But it was his attitude. It seemed he was trying to project that the incident was my fault"."This sort of attitude may not be an upfront one, but is set in the mindsets of people", she added. "The very system is biased against women and look for petty reasons to justify such acts. I did not ask for it. Neither did the other girl from North India and nor did the girls from Assam. Women are not asking for it. Women are never asking for it. It is just a petty excuse the society uses to defend those who shouldn't be defended", Sumitha wrote in her post. On Tuesday, they went to the Madiwala Police Station and filed a complaint. Deputy Commissioner of Police (South East Zone) Rohini Sepat contacted Sumitha and assured her that appropriate action will be taken. Read Sumitha's entire Facebook post here. Today I experienced first hand that very cause that we've been raising alarms about; the lack of safety of women.While I was returning home from dinner at 10 30 PM after dropping a friend, I was attacked 200 hundred metres away from home by a man who had cleverly concealed his face by tying a handkerchief around it. He was riding a black Honda Activa and I did not see the number plate. I was riding my bike back from HSR 1st sector towards my house which is less than 2kms away. While I was taking a turn to go home, on a dark stretch he rode his bike next to mine and tried to push my bike with one hand. When I did not fall, he immediately grabbed my breast and pinched it. I was shaken beyond measure.When I realised what had happened, I chased him for a good 200 mts before we hit the main road. All through I was calling for help. One man on an Activa heard my cry and rushed to chase him and two boys on another scooter, probably a Honda Deo joined in the chase.I was too shaken to to go any further and rushed home immediately.The minute I reached home and told my parents what happened, we rushed to the nearest police station which is in Sector-1, HSR Layout. When we told them what had happened, they said it did not come under their jurisdiction. When my father said he was a journalist, some how that changed everything. He said he would send a message on their network to alert the surrounding patrols and also said he would also inform the Madiwala police station under whose jurisdiction it falls.This apart, he also gave us a lecture about how since North Indian girls have come here, things have really changed and how they are "provoking such things" and are "asking for it". The very system is biased against women and look for petty reasons to justify such acts.I did not ask for it. Neither did the other girl from North India and nor did the girls from Assam. Women are not asking for it. Women are never asking for it. It is just a petty excuse the society uses to defend those who shouldn't be defended.He is still out there somewhere. I know it was a planned attack as he had followed me for a distance and had done a brilliant job of concealing his identity. All the girls out there, don't stop doing what you do because of such incidents. Don't let men like these scare you. The more you stay silent about such attacks, the more women will be subject to them. Raise an alarm at the very least. Don't let them go scot free. There is nothing to be ashamed of.I am a victim and a survivor and I will do whatever it takes to protect myself.TweetFollow @thenewsminute

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