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HomeIndiaDarjeeling women ‘harassed’ & ‘racially discriminated’ in Delhi’s Hauz Khas, FIR filed

Darjeeling women ‘harassed’ & ‘racially discriminated’ in Delhi’s Hauz Khas, FIR filed

The alleged incident took place on 18 July near Delhi's Hauz Khas fort. A video of the incident that has since gone viral shows one of the women saying she was asked her 'rate'.

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New Delhi: An FIR has been filed in an alleged incident of racial discrimination and sexual harassment that took place against a group of women from Darjeeling in the national capital.

The alleged incident took place around 10 pm on 18 July near the Hauz Khas fort, when the women were harassed by a group of men. A video of the incident went viral on social media after one of the victims uploaded it on her business account, Huckleberry Hangers, Monday.

The FIR was lodged at the Safdarjung police station Wednesday under section 509 of the Indian Penal Code (insulting the modesty of a woman).

The move came after the Delhi Commission of Women (DCW) took suo motu cognisance of the case. The DCW chairperson Swati Maliwal wrote a letter to the Delhi Police, seeking information by 25 July, which includes details of the accused identified and arrested, or steps taken to identify and arrest the accused in case there has been no arrest.

Earlier in the day, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) South West Ingit Pratap Singh had told ThePrint, “No complaint was filed by them (victims) at the police station. We are now trying to locate the complainant and will proceed legally as per complaint.”


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‘Rate kya hain?’ 

The incident came to light Monday when Neha, one of the victims who goes by one name, uploaded a video on Instagram on the business account of her thrift store, Huckleberry Hangers, calling for action against the men.

In the caption, Neha wrote that a man approached her and her friends — two of whom were Gorkhas while one was Tibetan — when they were waiting for someone. The man, who was with a group of men, asked Neha about her “rate (my hourly charge as a sex worker)”.

In the 10-minute video titled The True Society, Neha and a friend of hers, Astha, can be heard confronting the men.

“We are disgusted by it… we were at Hauz Khas village, waiting for a cab and for a friend of ours when a group of middle-aged men (40-45) came towards us. One of them stands beside me and asks me — rate kya hain (what is your rate)?,” Neha said in the video.

“There was no reaction from people around when we started screaming. I have been here for two years and Astha for five years and this is something we have never faced before,” she added.

In the video, a man in a t-shirt can be heard saying “sorry” to the women as he walks away. “Sorry bolne se ab kya hoga (what is the point of saying sorry now),” one of the women can be heard telling him.

‘Will file complaint today’

Speaking to ThePrint earlier in the day, Neha had identified this man as the one who harassed her. The 30-year-old had said, “We will lodge a complaint today (Wednesday). Yes, we have been racially profiled before but this has never happened before.”

Asked why they didn’t lodge one the following day, Neha claimed, “On the way we met a patrolling officer, who just said ‘ok’, smiled and walked away.”

In the video, Astha alleged, “Even while going to another place — a restaurant-cum-bar to eat — a policeman there asked me if I am a dancer. When I told him I would make a video, he ran away (sic).”

Neha said these two incidents prevented them from filing a complaint immediately.

“Where is the safety? We cannot trust anyone on the street, even the stakeholders, the police are smiling and smirking. What are we supposed to do? What are women supposed to do?” Neha asked in the video.

The second name of the victim, Neha, has been removed upon her request.

(Edited by Amit Upadhyaya)


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