Woman molested, husband bashed in India on New Year's Day

Woman molested, husband bashed in India on New Year's Day

A young couple had just ushered in the new year in Kolkata, India, when they were forced to put up a fight for their lives.

They were passing through the Chandiberia area of New Town on a motorbike when six to eight men blocked their way at around 12.15am on New Year's Day.

The woman was molested and her husband beaten up by the group of drunken men, who then tried to drag the woman away with them. But the couple fought them off.

"We were returning home when we saw a group of men openly drinking alcohol by the roadside," the husband told Times Of India. "They stopped our bike and threatened my wife to accompany them. When I protested, they grabbed her hand.

"I turned white in fear as they started dragging her away from me. I mustered (up) some courage and pounced on them. Both of us tried to put up a fight. My wife was traumatised and almost collapsed crying for help, but we continued to resist."

The couple went to New Town police station where officers brusquely told them that they would not accept a complaint unless the woman got herself medically checked in a hospital.

It is the responsibility of the police to get a rape complainant examined.

BRUISES

The Times Of India news report also showed a picture of the 24-year-old woman's face covered with bruises.

After the brush-off by the New Town police, the couple filed a report with a senior officer in Bidhannagar commissionerate.

No one has been arrested although the assault was on a main road and the attackers were locals.

The attackers snatched the couple's mobile phones and the woman's gold chains and bracelets before fleeing, read the complaint.

"They also tried to take my bike away, but failed," said the husband, adding that he chased them, but lost sight of the gang in the darkness.

There were other revellers returning home, but all of them ignored their cries for help, said the couple.

The indifference of the passers-by was nothing new. Last week, an actress was molested at the doorstep of her house in south Kolkata. There were people around, but no one tried to help her.

An officer of Bidhannagar said they are investigating the couple's complaint.


This article was first published on Jan 5, 2015.
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