Stalker Stabs 21-year-old to Death in Busy New Delhi Market

A man stabbed a 21-year-old woman to death in south-east Delhi.

Image used for representational purposes 

(Photo Courtesy: iStockphotos)

A 21-year-old woman was stabbed to death in a busy market in south Delhi on the evening of Friday, 26 July. The woman worked as a nanny and was returning from her workplace when a 25-year-old man, Mohammad Munasir, followed her and stabbed her six times.

The incident took place at 7 pm, when the victim was returning home from Bhogal. She was taken to a hospital immediately, where she was declared dead. The attacker was beaten by onlookers before being handed over to the police. He was later admitted to AIIMS and is being treated for the injuries he sustained.

According to Hindustan Times, the stalker and the victim were acquainted as they lived in the same locality in Sarai Kale Khan. As per the police, they had an argument after which the man attacked the women with a knife.

The woman lived with her brother, who was questioned in connection to the case as well. However, he denied having any knowledge of any relationship between the two.

“They were known to each other. We are trying to ascertain their relationship. The woman’s brother, an auto driver, has told us that he wasn’t aware that the duo knew each other.”

Chinmoy Biswal, DCP (southeast) to <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi-news/woman-stabbed-to-death-in-busy-bhogal-market/story-DNXAFyKAtDiy11AHwJkWsI.html">Hindustan Times</a>

Munasir used to work as a contractual sweeper in Safdarjung Hospital but is currently unemployed. He lived with his two unmarried sisters.

The DCP said it was being ascertained if the woman had ever approached the police with a complaint against the suspected killer in the past, reports Hindustan Times.

Make Stalking a Non-Bailable Offence

The Quint has been running a campaign to make stalking a non-bailable offence since August 2017. Stalking as a bailable offence allows stalkers to get bail without much scrutiny. This often poses the threat of acid attacks, rape, and even murder on survivors. The aforementioned case is testament to the same.

Stalking as a separate offence did not exist in the IPC until 2013. This necessarily affects any analysis of the statistics related to stalking, as the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) only has statistical data for the years 2014-2016. Despite this, the data available paints an interesting picture of the nature of the crime and the way it is dealt with in the country.

• In 2014, nearly 4,700 cases of stalking were reported. The figure jumped to 6,300 in 2015 – a 33 percent increase. In 2016, nearly 7,200 cases were reported. Given that the awareness about the offence is still at a nascent stage and is not viewed as seriously, numbers so high that only increase every year indicate how prevalent the crime really is.
• Pendency rates for trials are high. In 2016, 13,449 cases were pending trial for stalking, out of which trial was completed in only 1,534 cases i.e. 11.4 percent. This leaves a huge backlog of trials to be carried forward into the new year.
• In terms of the number of cases reported each year, only 3 percent in 2014, 5 percent in 2015 and 5 percent in 2016 resulted in convictions. In terms of trials, the conviction rate was 35 percent in 2014, but dropped to 26 percent in 2015 and stood at 26.4 percent in 2016.
• Importantly, the data indicates a lower-than-normal incidence of false cases. The NCRB’s statistics show that of the 9,800 stalking cases investigated by the police in the year, only 215 were found by them to be false. This comes out to be only 2.1 percent of all cases investigated in the year – which is below the average percentage of false cases per crimes investigated across the country: 2.5 percent

This is why The Quint has launched a petition along with Varnika Kundu and MP Shashi Tharoor to appeal Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to make stalking a non-bailable offence. Sign our petition here.