TEASE TERROR

nInebriated bikers stalk a Telco teenager and make vulgar passes

nA couple, accosted by a gang of tipplers in Golmuri, is forced to take shelter in the house of a stranger

nA 15-year-old girl is molested by her middle-aged co-passenger in an auto-rickshaw on its way to Bistupur

nA father is nearly assaulted when he confronts a stranger for ogling at his daughter at Sitaramdera

These are not just stray incidents, but clear indexes on how unsafe the streets of Jamshedpur are after dark. Tipplers, eve-teasers, molesters and perhaps rapists prowl the length and breadth of a city that hitherto took pride in being the culture cauldron of Jharkhand.

If unofficial figures ' most cases of eve-teasing and physical harassment go unreported ' are to be considered, at least five women fall victim to street tormentors every week, while the men in uniform prefer to dodge duty. Lax police patrolling and late night sale of liquor are the two primary reasons behind this spurt in tease cases across the city. From posh pockets like Sakchi, Telco, Bistupur, Sonari and Kadma to fringe areas such as Sitaramdera and Olidih, the canker is deep and festering.

Sitaramdera businessman and father of a 19-year-old girl R.K. Singh said he never lets his daughter go out alone in the evening, but rued that the situation is so bad that even company does not guarantee safety.

"On Sunday, my daughter and I went to buy medicines for my ailing wife. We had to head towards Lifeline Nursing Home in Sakchi because we did not find the prescribed pills at Sitaramdera. It must have been around 9.30pm. I noticed a middle-aged man staring at my daughter near the nursing home for quite some time," the 54-year-old recalled.

As the father-daughter duo left Sakchi, the man started following Singh's two-wheeler on his bike. "We were close to home, when I decided to stop and confront him. When I asked why he was following us, the man turned abusive. He was drunk and also threatened to beat me up," Singh said.

The altercation stretched for some time. Fortunately for them, officer in charge of Sakchi police station Bhola Prasad Singh happened to pass by. "I requested the officer to stop and narrated our ordeal. He took the man to the police station," the businessman added.

OC Bhola Prasad Singh confirmed that the "offender" had been detained. "We are looking into the matter. We can arrest the culprit only if a formal complaint is lodged," he said.

In another incident last week, a 15-year-old girl boarded an auto-rickshaw from Sakchi to Bistupur and was molested by a middle-aged co-passenger near Garamnala. She alerted other passengers in the auto who thrashed the culprit and made him get down from the vehicle.

But everyone is not as lucky as them.

Earlier this month, a teenager was riding her scooter along Ring Road in Telco around 9.30pm, when two men on a bike ' one of them middle-aged ' made a pass at her. Being alone on the deserted stretch, she ignored them. But the bikers closed in and tried to grope her. She skidded, but swerved in time and accelerated. Fortunately, her tormentors did not take up the chase challenge.

Officer in charge of Telco police station Ramendra Kumar said they carried out surprise patrolling, particularly near schools during daytime, to check eve-teasing. "Night patrolling is also done along various thoroughfares and marketplaces. But some manage to hoodwink police and indulge in these acts," he claimed.

The Telco victim, however, told The Telegraph that she hadn't seen a single policeman or patrol jeep during her 10-minute ordeal or till she reached to the safe confines of her home. "There was no one (read police) to help me on the spot. A complaint later may not have led to any arrest," she contended.

Local residents said that though policemen were posted in areas like Sakchi and Bistupur, they disappeared once the crowd thinned. "It is then that drunkards prowl the streets," said a resident, pointing to the 100-plus liquor outlets across the city that remained open till late in the night and often drew a brazen crowd of indecorous customers. "Some booze outside the outlets, which I believe is against the law. You cannot be drinking on the streets," the resident added.

Sources said some dealers paid a fixed and handsome monthly amount to local police stations for smooth business till late in the night, which further aggravated the problem of eve-teasing.

State excise department assistant commissioner (East Singhbhum) Rakesh Kumar confirmed that licensed liquor shops could operate from 9am to 11pm. "Earlier, sale of liquor was permitted till 10pm, but for revenue generation and convenience of customers, the time has been extended by an hour," he said.

City DSP Alok Kumar admitted that cases of eve-teasing was routine. "Victims must come forward and lodge complaints with the police. Only then can we act against the offenders. Victims can also approach the district women's grievance cell at the police control room. We will definitely ensure justice is done. For checking crimes like teasing and snatching, we have already deployed a bike force (the Tiger Mobile)," he said.

East Singhbhum SSP Akhlesh Kumar Jha, however, claimed that nightlife in Jamshedpur was comparatively better than other cities. "We act on the basis of complaints and file chargesheets against the accused in court. Eve-teasing is indeed a social evil. We try our best to ensure safety of women on streets. But the situation here is still better than other cities," he asserted.

The truth is better known to the victims.

Have you encountered road rowdies in your city?

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