The Red Brigade Tells us the Real Meaning of Being Nirbhaya

The women of Red Brigade have launched a mutiny against sexual harassment and rape.

The Red Brigade. (Photo Treatment: The Quint)

(On the 5th anniversary of the Nirbhaya case, we are still a long way from creating a safe space for women. A set of recent incidents involving gruesome rapes of women across the country has yet again raised several questions about the Indian society and the judiciary. The Quint is re-publishing this article to commemorate from its archives to commemorate Dec 16th.)

There he was, her attacker, squatting on quivering legs, begging for forgiveness, promising never to raise a finger on a woman again. Slapping him furiously were the girls of the Red Brigade, teaching him a lesson that he’ll perhaps never forget again.

“We aren’t against men”, says Usha Vishwakarma, who started Red Brigade to fight against sexual violence and teach self defense to girls.“But if someone mistreats us, then we’ll not hesitate in teaching him a lesson”.

Members of the Red Brigade. (Photo: The People’s Record)

These are the girls of India – fearless and fierce – who won’t be cowed down by the vulnerabilities that they inherit from a deeply patriarchal society.

Having faced sexual harassment from close quarters, they have organised a full frontal attack against it.

Usha Vishwakarma, the founder, has often, while narrating her story, said that the reason she was saved from rape at the hands of a fellow teacher is that he found her jeans to be too tight.

Usha narrated the story of Preeti who had to go to the fields for the lack of a toilet at home. She would get harassed by men many times.

Then there was Kajal, who was assaulted by her own family member.

But these women have launched a mutiny against all such harassment.

In and around the Madiyav area in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, where the Red Brigade operates from – a place where the movement of women would get crippled right after 6 pm – today women are walking back home, even at 11 in the night.

Members of the Red Brigade. (Photo: The People’s Record)

Ever since the Red Brigade started in 2011, it has trained about 31,000 women all over India in self defence. Women and girls are given martial arts classes where they are trained to punch, kick, and break the hold of an attacker. AJ+ too profiled these strong girls.

Most of the members are young girls between age 11-25. Today more than 100 members make up the brigade.

Every week, at least 3-4 cases of harassment come to the Red Brigade’s notice. Not just catcalling men, even wrongful husbands are taken to task by the Brigade.

But their vigilante form of justice has often been questioned.

This is self-defence. The whole idea is to humiliate men who harm women. The police are not supportive, so we have to defend ourselves.

Usha Vishwakarma, Founder, Red Brigade.

From the area that had once witnessed the mutiny of 1857, these women aim to launch another mutiny – one against sexual violence. “We will raise our voice, even if it makes people uncomfortable”, says Usha.

Right from December 16 till the 29th, the day Jyoti breathed her last, the Red Brigade will march in Lucknow in remembrance.

But marches can only keep a memory alive. To honour that memory, voices must be raised.