Mumbai: 23-year-old harassed by two, was travelling alone in auto

Mumbai Sept 3: Mumbai is constantly hogging the limelight and for all the wrong reasons. The city, once known to be a safe haven for women, is loosing its sheen and is turning out to be a an eve teaser's domain.

After the gangrape of a 22-year-old photojournalist shocked the entire nation, activists, working women and even journalists joined forces and demanded that there be regular patrol by the police in deserted areas and that strict punishment be handed to the rapists. But all their pleas seem to have fallen on deaf ears.

Post the gangrape incident, shocking news of a four-year-old being raped and a TV actor and her friend being assaulted surfaced, questioning the safety of women in the city.

As if this was not enough, now a 23-year-old fashion stylist, who was travelling alone in an auto rickshaw was harassed by two men on a bike on Saturday evening.

The girl, who was travelling from her residence in Malad to a mall in Oshiwara, was subjected to many lewd comments and gestures. The bikers, who rode parallel to the autorickshaw, even abused the auto driver, when he asked them to go away. At one point, they held onto the autorickshaw in a threatening manner, the girl said in her account.

The girl, immediately clicked their picture, which was later uploaded on social networking sites by her friend.

'They threatened the auto driver and abused him.'

Post this incident, two girls came forward and contacted the fashion designer's friend, saying that they too were harassed by the same men in the same locality.

The girl, however decided not to register a case with the police, since she had read about another incident involving a TV actress who was assaulted by a thief on a busy road.

The girl, who was travelling alone in the auto on Saturday evening said that she had reached the back road, off the Link road, when she saw these two men. They let a few vehicles pass by and then caught up with the auto, passing comments and whistling, she said.

One of them was wearing a BMC uniform.

A little ahead, she noticed a group of guys on bikes and thought that these must be friends of the duo. She didn't want to create a scene realising that the duo would have support.Once the auto driver slowed down the duo left.

The photograph, uploaded on social networking, has been shared more than 800 times and has been picked up by some bloggers who have created a blog urging people to share similar incidents.

OneIndia News