Spectator Special!

Thanks to everyone who has emailed in their contributions. We'll continue to post these as they come in. Remember, the deadline is Aug. 15!

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Chandrashekhar Bhattacharyya
Time: 22.00 hours
Place South extension part1, New Delhi
Spring 2008

I was at south ex fr dinner with friends. After then meal we went out for ice creams. Now, for people to know, South ex has a sizable population of women living as paying guests. While walking down the road I see a an official govt car with a blue light stop near a 'momo-wala'. I happened to identify the car belonging to a law enforcement agency. They were not local cops but a notch higher than them. There were two men in the car who stopped for some freebies (as it came to light later on they did not pay for the 3plates of chicken momos) from the poor momo vendor. From a distance one could make out they were drinking sitting inside their car. A group of 3-4 girls were passing by, and seeing them, these 'so-called' protectors of the law started passing comments about their looks and where they hailed from. One of them even whistled.
Even though their actions cannot be termed of a very serious nature yet, their action was unbecomingly of law enforcers and protectors of law. At that moment I felt a blood rush and couldn't contain myself. I was stopped from doing anything drastic by my friend. For it was known to both of us that these guys were armed. They always are. I somehow managed to calm myself from going up to them and getting them to apologies for their atrocious behavior towards those girls. Harassment or no harassment. These cops had no right to whistle and pass comments against these girls or for that matter anyone.
Between armed and unarmed, a cop and a civilian. At that point I felt helpless. But I had weapon. A camera phone. Knowing how the enforcers operate. A picture of the number plate was enough to nail the culprits.


That is what I did. Instinctively. Nobody asked me to. But I felt I had to do something. My small bit. Its my personal belief, that a society will prosper if the women our looked after. For it's a women who gives birth to a man. As I write this the men involved in whistling and passing comments that night are under suspension on charges other than eve-teasing. For reasons beyond my control I could only prove that they were misusing their official vehicle...