Citizens vow to make City 'fearless'

Citizens vow to make City 'fearless'
DH News Service, Bangalore:
Angry and worried over the increasing number of attacks on women in public spaces, concerned citizens of the City announced the formation of a new group Fearless Karnataka / Nirbhaya Karnataka (FKNK).

Formed a few days back, FKNK has already grown into a 100-member strong group, comprising of various social organisations. Rukmini, a garment factory union leader, told the media that the attacks were not being made on only “shirt-pant wearing” women. “What we are seeing is just one per cent of the problem. A few days back a garment-factory worker was drugged and gang-raped on her way home. It is just that no one knows about it.” The group expressed concern over the impunity with which these attacks were carried out in broad daylight.
Shakun from Vimochana, said, “Clearly, people in power are giving their tacit approval to the attackers.”
N Jagadeesha, from Alternative Law Forum, said that the guilty are rarely booked. Wrongful arrests are made intentionally to give the impression of “action” being taken, he said.

“I know of at least two innocent people arrested in connection with the Mangalore attacks.”
FKNK also believes that the attacks in the City are a continuation of those that took place in Mangalore.

Well planned

From the descriptions the women assaulted here gave this reporter, the attackers were uncannily alike, giving credence to the theory that the incidents were planned and executed by the same group.

In all the four cases, the men were between 25 to 35 years, dark complexioned, wore ‘flashy’ clothes and were conversant in English, Kannada and Hindi.

Some of the miscreants sported blue and red bandanas. FKNK briefed the media about the march to the Commissioner’s office on March 7 and the Walk the Night event to be held on March 8.

JOURNALIST ATTACKED

Yet another woman was allegedly punched in the face near Mount Carmel College on Saturday night.
High Grounds police said, at around 10.30 pm, a woman journalist working for an investigative magazine was targeted while she was trying to get into an autorickshaw after she noticed that one of her vehicle’s tyre was flat. She was returning home after attending a function at a convent school, when two motorcycle borne miscreants hit her in the face. She retaliated immediately and pushed them down. However, the culprits managed to recover and vanish in the dark.

In the last two days, this is the third such incident in the Vasanth Nagar area. Police are of the opinion that the same gang is involved in all the incidents.