A daily ordeal on rough roads

KOLKATA: Sucheta Das (first name changed) came to study in Kolkata a little over a year ago after passing Class XII from a Guwahati school. The 20-year-old commutes by the Metro from her PG accommodation in Girish Park to her college on Park Street. But even today, she develops cold feet while boarding the underground train because of a string of nightmarish experiences.
"It was my first day to college and the first time I was stepping into the Metro. I was super excited. I boarded the train around 10am at Girish Park. Though it was crowded, there was enough room to stand and I was quite comfortable - till I felt a hand running down my back," recalls Sucheta. She thought it was accidental. But then, she felt the man move his hand down. Revolted and scared, Sucheta wriggled out and took refuge behind a woman.
"I was new in the city and the man probably guessed it. Even after I got off at Park Street, he followed me, muttering something all the while. I was in tears and ran terrified. My parents sent me to Kolkata because they thought this was a safe city. After this horrible experience, I am extremely cautious while using public transport," said Sucheta.
Attacks on women happen on buses, taxis, autorickshaws and suburban trains as well. In January, a college girl was molested in a bus, sending ripples through the city. Recently a South Korean student was molested on a crowded Howrah-bound bus. Police acted swiftly and arrested the accused, but most victims prefer not to file a complaint because they feel going to the police is harassment.
Ishita Sarkar, a fashion designer from Lake Town, recalls a horrifying experience about a month ago. "I had boarded a 46B bus at Esplanade and was in the ladies' seat next to the front door. When the bus stopped at Ultadanga bridge, a youth who was getting off lunged through the window and groped me. Before I could react, he ran away. I felt so humiliated," she said. Ishita was so traumatized that she could not sleep the whole night, but thought it useless to approach the police.
"Many women have become immune to harassment in public buses. I do not blame all male passengers, but there are some perverts who prey on women. I always confront these men because if I sit quiet, they get bolder. It is a matter of shame and disgust that public transport has become increasingly unsafe for women in Kolkata," said rights activist Ishrat Khan.
Schoolteacher Priyanka Sinha from Barasat is so terrified of sexual predators on suburban trains that she skips a train if she cannot get into the ladies' compartment. She has had a string of harrowing experiences in the general compartment over the last two years, but one haunts her in particular. "I am unable to describe my ordeal as it will torment me again. I simply avoid the general compartment even if it means being marked late in school," said Sinha.
All the harassed women TOI spoke to felt let down that police are not always vigilant or cooperative. Unless there is better policing, they feel there will be no end to women falling prey to sexual harassment in public.