[Reader-list] Call centre employee molested, beaten up

[anuradha mukherjee]

 I am a bit confused about this article. Is the woman affected in this case
a Manipuri or from Mizoram? The strap and the intro says she is from Manipur
and then somewhere down in copy it's mentioned she is from Mizoram. The
reporter or the desk hand, who subbed this copy, appears a bit muddled. But
says a lot about our knowledge of the Northeast and our attitude. It could
be a genuine mistake, but not one that is surprising. Reporters are pressed
for time when they file copies, but at least get the basics right. And who
are these men of African origin? Are they Nigerian, or Kenyan?

http://www.mid-day.com/news/2010/dec/061210-News-Delhi-Call-centre-employee-molested-Manipur.htm
*   Call centre employee molested, beaten up   By: Atul Krishan*
**
*The victim, who is from Manipur, has identified two African men in police
records as the perpetrators. The accused are at large

*A day after Delhi police arrested the fourth accused in the gang rape case
of a BPO employee in the Capital, another woman from the northeast revealed
to MiD DAY that two men of African origin tried to rape her in Saket on
December 1.
The victim, who is from Manipur and also works in a call centre, says the
accused tried to abduct her near Select Citywalk mall in broad daylight.
When she tried to raise an alarm they beat her up. However they set her free
and fled the scene when the victim started shouting for help. Hearing her
cries, two police personnel rushed to her rescue.

A police source said that the Africans wanted to rape the victim and were
trying to kidnap her. "They wanted to abduct the victim and were dragging
her towards an isolated place. They slapped her when she tried to raise an
alarm and threatened her not to make any sound. They called her a prostitute
and wanted to rape her," he said.

*The whole picture*
The incident occurred five days ago. The victim has identified the accused
from photographs in police records of foreign nationals in the city. But
cops are clueless regarding their whereabouts. A senior police official
confirmed the incident and said that a case has been lodged and
investigation is on in full swing. He said that the accused have not been
arrested because they might have fled abroad after the incident.

The victim, Rupa (name changed) is a native of Hongbiban village in Mizoram,
and has been working with a Noida-based call centre.

She lives in south Delhi along with a friend. She had come to Saket to
collect her debit card from HDFC bank. On her way back home she was attacked
by the two men.

*Cops save the day*
"She said that she was walking towards Khidki Extension from Select Citywalk
mall when two African guys started following her. They passed lewd comments
at her and asked her for sex. She ignored them and kept moving. But one of
the accused caught hold of her, calling her a prostitute, and started
dragging her towards an isolated corner. He slapped her thrice when she
tried to raise an alarm. The girl started shouting, hearing which two cops
rushed to the scene. Seeing the cops running towards them, the accused fled
from the spot," said a police source.

A police official close to the investigation said that the victim was then
taken in a PCR van by cops in search of the accused. Police thought that the
two men might be roaming around in Saket, but they were not to be found.

*'Am I a prostitute?'*
Meanwhile, speaking to MiD DAY, the victim appeared angry and said that the
city is no longer safe, especially for the northeast women.

"Am I a prostitute? Is the word painted on my face? If not then people don't
have A right to call me that. People could have accused me of being careless
if I had been roaming around on the streets at night. But this happened in
broad daylight," she said.

"This is too much. People from the city avoid us. We too have a right to
move around freely," she added.
She said that if the cops hadn't come to her rescue, hearing her cries,
anything could have happened.
"When I asked them (the accused) why they were following me, they said that
it was I who was following them," she said.