While we are celebrating the Rocket Women of India for leading the Chandrayan Project and helping our country reach the moon, a brave girl has been attacked and threatened over her riding a Bullet motorcycle.
Even in 2019, when our country is really working hard to champion the cause of women empowerment, there has been an incident in Greater Noida that might reflect the ugly reality of our society.
Over last week, gunshots were fired, death threats were made, a police case was filed and ultimately a panchayat was called to maintain peace in Milak Khatana village of U.P.
And all this because an 18-year-old girl gathered the courage to drive a Royal Enfield.
A girl driving Enfield hurt the male egos, who feel they are custodians of what women should, or should not do.
When Ritika Mavi, a student of class XI, was returning from a general store on the bike, two men almost double her age stopped her. They didn’t like her “daring act”. But Ritika, raised as a strong and independent woman, didn’t like being told what to do. And this led to the argument.
Recalling the incident, Ritika’s uncle shared with ToI:
“They told her it doesn’t look good that a woman was riding a bike and asked her to stop immediately. When she did not budge, they threatened to harm her father. She came home and told us about the incident. But before we could do anything, the men arrived at our house,”
But Ritika’s father stood up for her. In his complaint, he mentioned:
“I told them that it is our internal matter and our family has no problem with her riding a bike.”
But things took an ugly turn when the men took out their guns. He further mentioned:
“After firing a few shots in the air to threaten me, they went upstairs to find my daughter. They shot at the ceiling as well and fled.”
Despite being threatened, the father called the police and registered a case against the men for objecting to the girl riding the motorcycle and for issuing a threat to the family, among others.
Though the probe is underway, we are in awe of the brave father-daughter duo who refused to bow down to the rudimentary social norms that expect women to be treated lesser than men.
At I FOR HER, we are celebrating the way this brave father supported his daughter will all his courage.
And, we wish many more parents will seek inspiration from him and will support their girls in their fight of equality.
