Women beat up molesters with slippers in Gurugram
A group of women working at a pub in Gurugram beat up around a dozen men making obscene gestures at them outside a mall at night. The men approached two of the women, and tried to pull one of them towards the car they came in. They fled after the women took off their slippers and beat them up.
Not unfamiliar with late-hour spectacles, Gurgaon's Mall Mile, a one-km stretch dotted with shopping malls and night clubs, was witness to yet another eventful night on Saturday - albeit with a twist. A group of women pub workers, fed up with obscene gestures and physical assault by a few men, took out their slippers to teach their tormentors a lesson.The brawl was captured by several onlookers on their mobile phones and these clips are now in circulation on social media. The half-hour high drama makes a mockery of Gurugram Police's claims of night patrol at the stretch, which has been in news for open sex trade and crimes against women.MISSING POLICE PRESENCE"There was hardly any police presence on MG Road when this incident happened. Onlookers were busy shooting the fight on their cameras," BN Lal, an eye-witness and a resident of the area, told Mail Today. "While sex deals taking place on the (MG) road are an open secret, police patrolling is seen only after a major crime is highlighted in the media. A few weeks later, it is business as usual," Lal added. Several eyewitnesses said the "ugly episode" took place around 1 AM when a group of four to five women, apparently working with the various pubs in the vicinity, were waiting outside Sahara Mall for transport. "Some drunk men repeatedly made obscene gestures to the women and one of them approached them. This was followed by heated arguments and commotion, which made the men leave the spot," said one of the eyewitnesses, requesting anonymity."However, these men, about a dozen in count, returned five-ten minutes later and again approached one of the younger women in the group," said the eyewitness. "They must have been emboldened by the absence of any police patrol vehicle in the area."Lal said a fresh round of arguments began after which one of the men tried to pull one of the women to where his vehicle was parked. The scuffle sparked anxiety among other women who rushed to help their colleague.SLIPPERS FLY"One of them took out his slipper and waved at the assailant. In a flash, all the women took off their footwear and began beating up the harasser. His friends came to help him but they also received the same treatment," Lal said. "As a crowd gathered, the men ran away in their vehicles."There are seven night clubs in Sahara Mall and each has the capacity of hosting about 100 guests. Local residents complain that at 1 AM, when these pubs down shutters, MG road gets crowded with groups of drunk men who are a nuisance. "The situation is worst on weekends," said a resident.A security guard at the mall, who refused to be named, said when the patrons come out of these night clubs, they try to strike deals with women, some of whom are regular employees and others who facilitate entry to stag pub-goers. "Such brawls usually occur when either a deal goes wrong or regular women employees are inappropriately approached. The Saturday incident seems to be the latter case," said the guard. "When Gurgaon Police are around, there is little nuisance but when the patrol party is absent, such arguments are common. Only this time, the molesters were at the receiving end," the guard added.There are 15 night clubs in various malls on the stretch. Residents said they have approached the district administration but it has failed to come with an effective strategy to deal with the weekly ruckus. "Pub owners must be held accountable for such incidents. They must ensure that female guests or staff leave their premises safely," said a local resident.City police tried to wash their hands of the matter by saying that such incidents were more of a social problem then a crime. Manish Sehgal, ACP (crime) of Gurugram Police said, "We have deployed policemen and women in civil uniform to identify miscreants. There are regular drives to nab troublemakers."Sehgal said the police are yet to receive any complaint in the case and will take appropriate action if they are approached by the victims.