Odisha Women Take Down Stalkers, Molesters Via Viral Videos

Women in Odisha fight harassers by filming videos that also serve as undeniable evidence.

(Photo: Reuters)

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In February 2015, a woman en route to Bhubaneswar on an Indigo flight was harassed by a man who later, while admitting that he had touched her inappropriately, said, “Everyone makes mistakes in life. This was a mistake.” She had confronted the alleged molester with a camera phone in her hand while he profusely apoligised.

The video went viral with people lauding the woman for shaming the man.

These “mistakes” are often followed by a plethora of questions confirming if the woman in question was ‘inviting’ trouble.

But women in Odisha continue to fight back on their own by filming videos of harassers. These videos work as undeniable evidence.

On 6 January, a group of women shot a video of men who had stalked and harrassed them as they returned from Bhubaneswar’s Nandankanan zoo. The video went viral and also led to the nabbing of the five accused by local police.

Another video of a woman from Odisha’s Jajpur district thrashing a 50-year-old man who had passed lewd comments on a university student was shared on social media, with outrage pouring in from all over. The man can be seen folding his hands and apologising.

In Cuttack’s Badambadi area, a 23-year-old woman was seen slapping two bike-borne men who had harassed her while she purchased groceries in a busy market. One of the two was later arrested.

Instant justice is what women have fought for but with the sluggish approach of the judicial system and police towards incidents has forced women to take things into their own hands. Publicly humiliating and pinning down the accused via these videos leaves them with little or no room for escape.

(With inputs from Hindustan Times)