From gropers to rapist!
Delhi has come into the public eye recently and has been given the title ‘Rape capital’ of India. Whether it deserves this title or not is a moot point, there may be more deserving places in the hinterland, far removed from the public eye. But Delhi didn’t morph over night into an unsafe place for women, it has been evolving over a period of time. The apathy of the authorities can be fully blamed for this sorry state of affairs.
In the late eighties and early nineties I was doing my MS in Ludhiana, I used to frequent Delhi almost every month, visiting my friend Amitava Biswas ‘Bisoo’ who was studying in AIIMS. In those days it was the ‘Grope capital’.  Groping was rampant, especially in the public transport system, the buses. Like in every metropolis these overcrowded, bursting at the seams buses were rich hunting grounds for the gropers. Those hapless members of the fairer sex who were forced to use the public transport system had to put up with the indignity of being pawed. The co passengers were either mute spectators or appeared leeringly amused.
Then on the streets these perpetrators had honed this into a fine art. Me and my friend were once walking through a tony residential neighbourhood and were witnesses to this scene. A car was parked along the side walk and across the road two perpetrators were on a bicycle and waiting expectantly. One was on the saddle and the other seated sideways on the front bar. They were waiting and watching like hawks for a hapless victim. They did not have to wait for long for soon along came a young lady striding purposefully towards her destination. She was walking along the side walk but once she reached the park car, she had two options. Either to climb on the pavement and walk around the car from the pavement xc or walk around the car on the street side. She opted for the latter option easier option not realising the danger. As soon as she began to go around the car on the street side the two perpetrators got galvanised into action. They swerved in an arch across the road towards the victim. The one seated on the bar had his paws flaying all around. The timing was perfect so that the victim was squeezed between the car and the approaching bicycle. She however had the presence of mind turn towards the car exposing only her back. With nothing substantial to paw, the perpetrators swerved their bicycle back to across the road. The onlookers had a laugh, whether they were laughing at the victim or the
perpetrators it was difficult to tell. The victim nonchalantly walked on as if nothing had happened. This must have been pretty common place in this urban jungle.
The authorities should have taken stern steps to deter such behaviour, this naturally emboldened perpetrators like these to graduate from gropers to rapist and Delhi’s decline to being the ‘rape capital’ today.