Like many of us, have you been shown lewd and inappropriate gestures by men in public spaces? If yes, then what did you do?
Did you report them to make sure they learn their lesson or just ignored like many of us?
One woman refused to ignore and we are celebrating her courage!
Recently, when a man flashed his private parts at a 23-year-old woman and touched her inappropriately inside an ATM kiosk in Mumbai, this brave woman refused to stay silent.
Rather than being scared of shaming, this woman made sure the accuser is behind the bars so that he never gathers the courage to do the same with any other woman again.
Later, the woman shared the entire incident on social media.
So What Happened?
The incident took place when the woman stopped by an ATM in Mulund (East) late-night to withdraw money.
The 23-year-old woman narrated the incident in a series of tweets.
It was her birthday and she wanted to use the ATM to withdraw cash for the auto-rickshaw fare. As there were some issues in the machine dispensing money, the accused Sandeep Khumbharkar offered his help in paying off the rickshaw driver.
When she politely declined his help and tried to withdraw the money once again, the accused “touched her inappropriately and flashed at her”.
But this woman rather than getting scared started recording the entire incident.
In the video, shared by the woman on Twitter, the accused can be seen flashing the woman inside the ATM. He suddenly turns his back to the camera when he notices the woman recording him. He then steps out of the ATM in a rush.
She mentioned in her Twitter post:
The woman has been praised by many on social media for her courage and presence of mind.
The State Bank of India also tweeted out their support and wrote:
“We are glad you are safe and applaud your presence of mind on how you dealt with the situation which will help the police with further investigation. We request you to share the precise location along with the PIN code of the ATM. Thank you”
TV Actor Mona Ambegaonkar also wrote to the post:Â
“When you do find out his name, make it public. Let’s ensure he won’t ever forget this day. Sorry that you went through this. It’s incidents like this that make me think all women should carry weapons”
Image(s): Twitter
BJP’s social media in-charge Priti Gandhi wrote:
“Way to go, girl Mumbai undoubtedly has always been very safe for women but once in a while when things do go out of hands, seeing girls like you tackle the situation head-on feels good!! Happy to see your presence of mind..And thank you @MumbaiPolice for the prompt action!!”
As a society, we need to celebrate the courage of young women who are raising their voices to fight for their dignity.
This woman’s brave spirit managed to get one such offender off the streets, but how many more sex-deprived men like Sandeep are roaming free on the roads.
Hope this story gives you the courage to fight back the next time you are shown lewd and inappropriate gestures by men in public spaces!Â
