Mannequin Challenge India Edition: Raped, Attacked and Molested

(This was first published on 14 March 2018. It has been republished from The Quint's archives to mark International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on 25 November.)

First it was Bengaluru and then it was Delhi. The recent reports of molestations have provoked a lot of outrage on social media. From celebrities to the common man, everyone is rightly condemning the heinous acts. One such post on Facebook by Darshan Mondkar caught our attention, which inspired us to do this mannequin challenge.

For those who haven’t read Darshan’s post yet, this is what he wrote:

So, I went out with my girlfriends to party on the crowded streets of a Metropolitan city, they came out in large numbers and molested us...... But my safety is my responsibility so...

The next time I went to a discotheque, it was enclosed and had bouncers, they came into the place and beat us up and ripped our clothes off.......But my safety is my responsibility so....

I went to a movie with a male friend for company, they pushed me into a bus and shoved an iron rod inside my privates.......But my safety is my responsibility, so......

I went for my job trying to earn my living, they stopped my cab in the middle of the road and took turns in raping me.......But my safety is my responsibility, so.......

I went to my college, fully clad in a "decent" salwaar kameez, they caught me around a corner and squeezed my bum......But my safety is my responsibility, so......

I went back to live with my family feeling safe and secure with them, they were my uncles but they didn't think of me as their niece when they made me take off my clothes and have their way with me.......But my safety is my responsibility, so.......

These days I sit in the bathroom, locked tight, not coming out at all. They stand on the terrace opposite to it peeking in through the bathroom window, but I don't take a bath.......because my safety is my responsibility.......

Now, they have me exactly where they have always wanted me, my spirit broken, my ability to fight back gone, my will to do something destroyed.....at their mercy.....still stuck in the bathroom.....dreading the time when the knocking starts on the door as they come to get me here too.

I am that Indian woman who can excel at sports, win medals for the country, join the Army, become a CEO, go to outer space and be the talk of the world.....only if I can come out of this bathroom......But my safety is my responsibility, so....

Video Producers: Tridip Kanti Mandal and Badsha Ray
Cameraperson: Sanjoy Deb
Video Editor: Kunal Mehra