We Cannot Forget Ragini.

Prince Tewari, son of BJP leader, and panchayat chief, KripashankarTiwari, stalked, and murdered a 17 year old in Lucknow.

https://www.telegraphindia.com/…/frontpage/story_166525.jsp…

1) Why has only, The Telegraph covered this?

2) What is the role of the ' Anti Romeo Squad' , who knew of Prince Tewari stalking and had let him off earlier, with warnings?

3) Prince Tewari believe that he can force someone to marry by stalked and harassing her.

He murdered the person he was forcing, to marry. 

4) Prince Tewari and SonuTewari , hit Ragini, with their motor bike. Ragini was on a bicyle. Prince Tewari murdered her. Ragini's 13 year old sister Siya was with her.

5) There were 50 witnesses, who didn't help.

A witness is someone who has the power to change the story. Each of us, can be that Action Hero.

In Solidarity With Action Hero Lil Bernard #INeverAskForIt

Bill Cosby. Image source

This is why I took so long #WhyWomenDontReport #INeverAskForIt

“ And you, for example, who are sitting here, blaming and shaming me, and doubting me, and calling me a liar, is a testimony of why it took me so long to come out. I immediately started trying to kill myself. I was slashing my wrists. I was hanging myself. I had a network of friends who were saving me from killing myself."  - Lil Bernard

Quote source: CNN video

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/06/15/us/bill-cosby-jury-six-questions/index.html

We are Reporting To Remember, lest we forget, our collective environment of blame, the questions asked, judgements made, in court, by the press, our public memory. Being blamed, shamed and made to feel guilty for our own experience of sexual assault, has led to suicides, affected mental health.

In response to being asked, 'Why didn't you report?' , we repeat:

Y E S ! LOVE Kavita Krishnan.

"Women have every right to be adventurous. We will be adventurous. We will be reckless. We will be rash. We will do nothing to produce safety for ourselves. Don't you dare tell us what to wear. Don't tell us what time of the day or night we may be out or how many escorts we need." --Kavita Krishnan, AIPWA secretary, at protest outside Sheila Dixit's residence.

#DelhiGangRape #SafeCityPledge

RECALL :

Because the first experience of feeling discomfort and intimidated in public spaces comes with a sense of 'unpreparedness'. It could be something that you didn't identify then as street harassment but knew that 'something wasn't right'.  Because it is often left unarticulated.

Action Heroes / BN Guys
Recall and share your first memory of street harassment/ sexual violence

It could have been something you experienced/ witnessed or heard about for the first time and the impact it had on you.
Please submit the form below by May 2013
The responses will be shared on the Action Heroes  space on the weekend of June 2013
Recall 2012 here

Young man arrested on charge of gang rape and molestation

Crime location: Rampurhat bus station, West Bengal
Nature of crime: rape
Who: 3 men
Time : 3 am

A young man has been arrested on charges of gang rape and molestation of two teenaged girls. He was one from a gang of 3 rapists-  the other two men are missing.   Telegraph states that one of the survivors called for help from the public around the bus station which led to one rapist being caught. The girls have reported the incident at the Rampurhat Police Station. The other 2 men have been identified.

Report via
Hindu ,  Telegraph , Indian Express

Delhi teenager skips school to avoid stalker (Jan 2011 report)

New Delhi: Six months back, 15-year-old Maya's (name changed) life was full of fun and frolic just like any other school-going girl. Then one day, while on the way to school, she was stalked by a group of guys who started hurling comments and abuses at her.

As this harassment continued for several days, Maya's scared parents stopped her from going to school and did not even allow her to venture out of her home. Today, she is virtually under 'house arrest' for no fault of hers.

Her parents are a worried lot as repeated complaints to the police have not yielded any result so far. As such Maya, who was a student of class 8 of Rajakiya Sarvodaya Vidyalay in Khanpur area, was forced to drop out from the school.

"The problem started in August 2010 when a local goon Sripal started following my daughter. He often passed vulgar comments at my daughter while she used to be on her way to school. Fearing that any harm might come to her, we stopped her from attending the school. We lodged a complaint with the police but they didn't take any action. The situation worsened and the stalkers continued to harass her even after she dropped out from the school. Whenever she used to go out of the house, they troubled her repeatedly," said Ram Kumar (name changed) father of the victim.

Kumar again lodged a complaint against his daughter's stalkers in October but police still remained inactive. "The inaction of cops has encouraged the stalkers further. Right from the day my father lodged a complaint against them, they became more abusive towards me. Whenever they see me out of the house, they start chasing me and pass vulgar comments. At times they even tried to molest me. The whole colony watched their act but nobody came to my rescue," said the victim.

Besides Kumar's complaint, there is another complaint lodged against these accused for eve-teasing and use of vulgar language. Still the police seem to prefer inaction on the issue. When contacted by MiD DAY, the police officials said that they will be able to comment after they investigate the case.

Residents of the area say the accused operate as a gang and often indulge in such unlawful activities in the Lal Kuan area of Pul Prahladpur area.

>>>>

1. do you know someone who missed school for avoiding 'eve-teasing'?

alternatively- do you plan your daily route/ activities to avoid sexual harassment on the streets?

2. have you ever filed a police complaint? if yes- what followed?

if no- why not

3. do you experience sexual harassment from the same person everyday- if yes what are your strategies? how do you respond to it (neighbourhood/ bus/ college/ workplace)

4. Have you been a 'spectator who changed the scene'- i.e instead of watching the 'tamasha'- you got involved and supported the survivor of violence?

5. Are there any follow ups of this report?

Hot News Taaza Samachar

Hot News/ Taaza Samachar (fresh news)
is based on news paper rape reports from 2003




Rape reports Jan 2010:
2 men charged for rape in Goa
3 men charged for rape in Manchester
5 men get 8 year jail term for gang rape in Delhi
1 man slaps a grade 9 student in Bangladesh. Unable to bear the humiliation she commits suicide.


thank you for linking:
TokyoTrini Tumbles

Build the list below and create your own evidence :

1. Name:
2. Age at time of experience:
3. time:
4. clothes worn at the time of incident:
5. type of harassment/ 'teasing'/ violence:

e: post mail us the garment you wore when you experienced sexual harassment. say out loud . I NEVER ASK FOR IT. BELIEVE.
Be an Action Hero.

e:blurtblanknoise at gmail dot com.

your attention please:

• report here if you experienced it. tell us how you dealt with it. would you deal with it any differently today?how did you become an action hero in your own eyes.

• report here if you witnessed it. tell us what made you help someone. tell us if you didn't come forward to help and why.

• report here if you're male/ man/ boy/ guy and thinking about the issue of street sexual harassment.

about "blank noise guy" : street sexual harassment is as much a male issue as it is one concerning women because it is influenced by male behaviour, attitude and expression. With this thought we announce "Blank Noise Guy" : inviting males to share their experiences on being in public.

Thoughts on the body, boundaries, behaviours
[flirting, 'teasing' , 'harassing',' intimidating', 'having fun', 'just looking'?]

It could range from the fear of being seen as a perpetrator; how you
approached a female stranger (if you ever did); being attracted to a stranger and what you did or witnessing harassment and introspecting on your response. Welcome.

I NEVER ASK FOR IT/ PROBLEMATIC PROBLEM SOLVING ISSUES

WE NEED EACH OF YOU TO CHALLENGE THE ARGUMENT BELOW.
SEND A GARMENT YOU WORE WHEN YOU EXPERIENCED ANY FORM OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT. YOUR GARMENT WILL CHALLENGE THE IDEA THAT WOMEN 'ASK FOR IT' . YOUR CLOTHING IS YOUR WITNESS. SEND YOUR TESTIMONIAL THROUGH CLOTHING. BE THE AGENT. ORGANIZE A CLOTHING DRIVE IN YOUR COLLEGE OR SIMPLY SPEAK TO FRIENDS ABOUT IT. BE THE CLOTHES COLLECTOR FROM YOUR CITY. WRITE TO US AT BLURTBLANKNOISE@GMAIL.COM AND REPORT IN YOUR CLOTHES COUNT. TAKE A PHOTO OF THE GARMENT AND EMAIL IT ASAP. SAY OUT LOUD- I NEVER ASK FOR IT. BE AN ACTION HERO.
we have clothes collectors in chennai. delhi. bangalore. bombay. pune. calcutta. lucknow. vizag.
to get in touch with any of them write to us at blurtblanknoise @gmail dot com subject titled
"i never ask for it"



Chennai:

The Madras high court has declared that salwar kameez is decent wear.
The college management claims the saree only dress code was introduced “to instil and maintain discipline, dignity, and decorum among the internees.”

Kamalam, a homeopathy internee, to wear saree during her internship at Venkateswara Homeopathic Medical College here. Saying that she was not used to wearing sarees, she wanted to be allowed to wear churidhar. When the management did not relent, she issued a legal notice and approached the National Commission for Women. She then filed the present writ petition. The college claimed that the saree-only dress code was introduced only “to instil and maintain discipline, dignity and decorum among the internees”.

Kanpur:
Students and teachers in Kanpur women colleges better watch out their attire as the authorities of several institutes have barred them from wearing jeans, sleeveless blouses, danglers and high heels in the campuses.
This decision was taken to put a check on eve-teasing and ensuring discipline, according to the college principals.

"Banning any clothing will certainly never solve the issue of sexual harassment," said Uzma, a graduate student from Lucknow University who declined to give her full name.

"The state government has not imposed any ban on wearing of jeans by girls. No dress code has been issued by the government in this regard," Secretary Higher Education Kamran Rizvi told reporters here.

The Uttar Pradesh government has slammed the impromptu decision by the State Principals’ Council of aided post graduate degree colleges to ban girl students from wearing jeans on campus.

PROBLEMATIC PROBLEM SOLVING ISSUES:

sent by Annie
Age: 22 : Andheri Station, Mumbai


Source: Indian Express

To keep eve-teasing at bay, four Kanpur girls degree colleges have banned students from wearing jeans, tight tops, sleeveless blouse, high heels, tight fitting clothes in the campus.


Source: TOI
If you are a girl in Kanpur, you can’t wear jeans to college. , Dayanand Girl’s College, affiliated to Kanpur University, began moral policing by restricting its students from wearing western outfits on the campus. A notice to this effect was issued before the start of the
academic year.


Source: One India
We can’t overlook the safety of students. A dress code would check eve-teasing to some extent and also ensure that girls don’t waste their time selecting what clothes to wear," Jamal said.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

1. it is not only the jeans wearing women who get violated and harassed on the street

2. women across age groups. body types. clothes, socio economic groups have been 'teased', attacked, assaulted, intimidated by random male strangers in their cities.

3. a garment may seem inappropriate to another stranger but no one 'asks for it' or deserves to be violated.

4. blaming survivors of harassment has been an age old way problematic solution. to counter that- we ask you to walk the streets of your cities without apology.


////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

We have had innumerable discussions on the Blank Noise blog about clothes. provocation. harassment. and 'asking for it'. Without further delay here's what we ask you to do:
SEND ONE GARMENT YOU WORE WHEN YOU WERE SEXUALLY HARASSED, OR 'EVE TEASED' ON THE STREET. YOUR GARMENT IS YOUR WITNESS. SAY OUT LOUD " I NEVER ASK FOR IT "


I Never Ask For it discussions can be found here:

(please send us links if you come across more of these)

http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/2991

http://www.savadati.com/?p=498
http://www.savadati.com/?p=71
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=b332809a-ea1b-4f08-84a8-bb1e55dd8584
http://www.bharatwaves.com/portal/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=9
http://www.sawf.org/newedit/edit07172006/index.asp

Chennai contact - Katheeja

email: blanknoisechennai@gmail dot com

Bangalore Contact:

Delhi Contact:

Bombay Contact:

Calcutta contact:

Lucknow: blanknoiselucknow@gmail.com

Blank Noise on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=618467372#/group.php?gid=2703755288&ref=ts

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=618467372#/group.php?gid=142739725581&ref=ts

also at fox news

links: salon

Bitch

Susan Campbell

THIS PLACE

photograph it

place it here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/blanknoisethisplace/map

e:blurtblanknoise at gmail dot com

Bombay. March 15.

photo credits. Punit and Yamini


Yamini Deen reports:

After so many Blank Noise interventions, the street in my head is like a laboratory of delicious experiments- those of provocation, the test of limits .

The street tells so many stories of wooing , of harassing, of hookers , of control, of sexuality .

SO Gateway Sunday was one such experience.

I walked up and down the promenade for a while. I went and politely handed the letter to anyone who responded to me in some way-lewd, curious,anything.

Some men would look at me up and down in the lewdest way possible and get completey flabbergasted if I went up to them, smiled and handed a letter.

Guilt? Fear? Something they didn't expect?

One man came to me and said
''So you think I am eve teasing you''?
''Why did you only give me the letter''?

He later told a male friend.
'If a girl walks ''that way''..you know one assumes she is asking for sex.'

But Gateway is also a space where they pick up men/women for sex. is the line between being unapologetic and sexually overt so thin?

But I am by now extremely unapologetic about my walking.

Anyhow, in the corner right in front of a gateway of India stood a pretty white woman in a short yellow dress. When I first spotted her, men collected in a line , at a 'safe' distance and stared.

She fiddled with her phone.I handed her a letter and left.

After a while, I went there and noticed that men were taking turns to take pictures with her.

(This while she was holding our letter)

She was smiling. The crowd thickened. Rumours flew like sparks and at other parts of the promenade, fellow blank noise members overheard conversations

about Preity Zinta or 'some' celebrity being there.

(A photo op for random loiterers, is that the new hobby of celebrities?)

Well.,after a while, about 40 men had crowded around her taking turns to take a picture with her.They helped themselves to her waist while holding her.



And she was smiling , mostly, slightly embarrassed , occasionally uncomfortable.

And maybe behind all mobs, there are a few complacent cops standing at a corner.

We asked the cops why they didn't stop anyone.

They said it was because she agreed to have her picture taken.

I was wondering then if in my mind I allowed the thought that she might have actually enjoyed the attention.And NOT in a negative way- not in a she deserved it sort of a way.

We asked her and she said 'Now , ask them to go.'

It was like a constant seesaw between comfort and discomfort for her.She never really looked threatened, to me atleast.

The only thing that worried me was how the mob gathered so fast, and mobs being mobs, can go out of control.

Which again brings me to the question of when attention is threatening, when it is mildly irritating, when it is flattering and when it can make you bawl.

Action Heroes include: Yamini Deen, Pranav Joshi, Kismet Nakai, Punit, April.

Next event: Blank Noise Bombay on March 29th. Sunday.

CALLING ACTION HEROES. REPORT AT blurtblanknoise at gmail dot com

Fearless Karnataka. Nirbhaya Karnataka.

photo source- the Hindu. read article here

28 Feb at 10.30 pm, Sanjana got hit by two men on a bike who
slowed down, socked her on her jaw and fled away.

24 Feb, Lakshmi was attacked at around 9 pm by four men who
punched her, hit her, and abused her for wearing jeans.

17 Feb, two men chased Geetanjali’s car at 1.30 pm. One chased
her with a large stone as she ran to a friend’s house for refuge.

That week, Jasmine was attacked by four middle-aged men at 11.30 am
when her auto broke down. They physically assaulted and tried to
disrobe her while yelling obscenities.

Minutes of the Fearless Karnataka/ Nirbhaya Karnataka meeting with the Office of the Commissioner Police- by Aarti Mundkur.

On 2nd March at 3:00 PM a large number of people associated with the
fknk campaign gathered outside the Office of the Commissioner of Police
Bangalore City. They lined some part of Infantry road with posters on
Sec 354 IPC (outraging the modesty of women). There was significant
media presence.
A memorandum was submitted by 10 members of the fknk campaign- I will
send another email with an attachment of the final representation given
to Mr. Shankar Bidari, Commissioner of Police, Bangalore. The following
is a brief summary of the conversation that we had with him.

1) Mr. Bidari categorically stated that 3 FIRs being lodged was not an
indication that violence against women is a persistant/ constant problem
in Bangalore. He said that these were merely instances and that they
would be investigated fully. However, that the law and order situation
is very much under his control and women need not be in fear.

2) He also told us that Bangaloreans are cultured people and that it is
not possible that bystanders would not come to the aid of women, if they
were in situations of distress.

3) he would be happy to hold a seminar along with us as soon as the
upcoming elections are over.

4) Responding to the fact that women have gone to the police and that
cases were not registered- he said that this was not possible. 59
officers have been suspended for not registering cases. If in the
unlikely possibility that a case was not registered that women could
come and meet him on Monday/Wednesday/ Friday to lodge FIRs.

5) He also said that none of the complainants have provided vehicle
numbers- which seriously hampers the investigation. Especially when they
all had sufficient time to make a note of the two wheeler license plate
numbers.

6) he said he would look into our suggestion of dedication a couple of
bill boards- like the ones announcing traffic violations- to carrying
messages about violence against women.

7) According to Mr. Bidari, the law on this point has been on the
statute book for centuries and all citizens are fully aware of these
provisions. However, he was appreciative of our efforts to raise public
awareness.

ALSO SEE THIS- SHANKAR BIDARI'S INTERVIEW

ANNOUNCEMENTS:


Date: Saturday. March 7
Time: 3:30 pm-5 30 pm
Location:
Dr. Ajai Kumar Singh
DG & IGP
Karnataka State Police Headquarters
Nrupathunga Road
Bangalore

Date: Sunday , March 8
Time: 6 pm onwards- 5 localities.
9 pm. Majestic.
Event: TAKE BACK THE NIGHT( sign up now!)


about:
Fearless Karnataka is a collective of organisations and individuals who have come together to address the issue of street sexual violence. This collective was formed last week after repeated reports of assaults on women .

Reported

Gangs attack women in ‘western attire’
* Deepika Arwind * Two attacks in
broad daylight with people just looking on *

Bangalore: In what appears to be inspired by the pub attack in Mangalore,
three women have been attacked in the city over the past week. All three in
their 20s and in “western clothing” were subject to varying degrees of
violence. The first incident took place on February 17 at 1.10 p.m. in
Indiranagar, when a young woman’s car was closely followed by two men on a
motorcycle. “I was returning from my German class. I noticed the men
following me, hooting and then overtaking my car,” she said on her blog,
giving a detailed account of the unprovoked assault. She was spat on and her
car was blocked even as the other car drivers, instead of stopping to help,
just wanted her to get out of the way.

Speaking to *The Hindu* on condition of anonymity, the traumatised woman
said: “Everyone could see that they were being aggressive and yelling
obscenities in Kannada. No one came to my rescue.” After a chase, she sought
refuge in an apartment building, where she was cornered. One of the men
continued to shout obscenities and moved threateningly close. When she
slapped him in self-defence, he punched her. “Aggravated, I shouted at him
in Kannada. He was stunned to hear me speak the language. He noted down my
licence plate number and told the guard he would harm me later,” she said.
Shaken, she filed a complaint with the Deputy Commissioner of Police (East).
DCP East B.K. Singh said that the complaint was registered 48 hours after
the incident. “We are not able to identify the accused as the CCTVs at the
signals have recordings for 24 hours only. We are investigating.”
Second assault

The second incident took place on Tuesday at 10 a.m., when a 28-year-old
woman on her way to Kormangala was accosted by four men near RBANM’s College
in Ulsoor. “Four men got off an SUV and started screaming at me. They tugged
at my clothes in front of at least eight mute spectators. One of them even
pulled my shrug off, scratched my neck and hit my ear,” she told *The
Hindu*on condition of anonymity. She said that the four were all aged
between 25
and 35. “When I said I would call the police, one of them offered me his
mobile phone and told me to go right ahead. They saw an airline tag on my
bag, got more aggravated and called me an outsider,” she said. “One of them
said I must be part of the pink chaddi campaign.” Fortunately, an army van
passed by and two soldiers ordered the men to stop harassing the woman.

“At first, the men even shoved the armymen, but stopped after they saw there
were other soldiers in the van. It seemed like they were on a mission and
looking for a victim,” she said, adding she is too shaken to file a
complaint.

Later the same day, at 9 p.m., a young filmmaker was attacked by four men
near High Grounds, past the Mount Carmel College. “At first, they jostled me
and I told them to back off. They shouted obscenities in Kannada. I yelled
back in English, which seemed to provoke them. It grew into a fight when
they punched me and said I ‘deserved’ it for wearing jeans and sleeveless
kurta and walking alone at night.” She managed to get into an autorickshaw
and flee but not before they tried to drag her out. She registered a
complaint at the High Grounds Police Station on Wednesday morning.

Blank Noise Bangalore:
We are meeting this Sunday
3pm- 5 pm. Cubbon Park.
All are welcome. Bring in your questions, thoughts, ideas.
confirm via email: blurtblanknoise at gmail dot com

REPORTING TO REMEMBER

Starting with the most recent Mangalore pub attack we would like to build a list of incidents involving attacks on/threats to women under the pretext of culture, tradition and religion.

1-political parties/ religious groups/ individuals

2-nature of attack- who they attacked. why they attacked. you could also send articles/links explaining that.

3-when.date

4-location.region.

You can add to this list by adding in the comments section below or by emailing us at blurtblanknoise at gmail dot com

or if you are on facebook you could add it here:
http://www.facebook.com/inbox/readmessage.php?t=1002230751699&mbox_pos=0#/event.php?eid=103986081520

Nandini report:

December 28, 2008:

Bajrang Dal activists attack a bus ferrying
students on a study tour to Mysore, saying girls and boys from
different religions can't travel togetherlinks: http://www.worldproutassembly.org/archives/2009/02/karnatakas_comm.html
Mohnish Moorjani reports:
Jan 29, 2009
Ram Sene
'Amnesia' Pub. Mangalore


Feb 14, 2006Shiv Sena
Nallasopara, BombayA mob of 60 Shiv Sainiks, armed with hockey sticks and rods, descended on a private party at Nallasopara on Tuesday and beat up women and children, ripped off their clothes, stole their jewellery and mobile phones and sent a few of the men to hospital.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1416850.cms
http://blogofindia.blogspot.com/2006/02/shiv-sena-disowned-nallasopara-vandals.html
http://www.expressindia.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=63063
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-1420117,prtpage-1.cms


Anivarn Chatterjee reports:

1. Bajrang Dal and the World Hindu Council

2. Human rights activists Angana Chatterji and other female members of the Indian People's Tribunal on the Environment and Human Rights threatened with rape and disrobing, as they take deposition of stories about attacks on minorities. Chatterji later threatened with rape, murder, dismemberment for speaking up.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/06/23/MNG7ADDAE11.DTL
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2005/07/12/does-rss-have-any-moral-standards
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1156238.cms
http://www.thehindu.com/2005/06/15/stories/2005061506381200.htm

3. June 14, 2005

4. Bhubaneswar, Orissa




Anubhav Pradhan reports:

14th Feb,2006
http://www.hindu.com/2006/02/15/stories/2006021523280300.htm
The Shiv Sena staged a protest against Valentine's Day in Kamla Nagar, Delhi "dubbing the Valentine's Day as a marketing gimmick".
The state unit of the National Panthers Party had come out against the Sena, and representatives of the same went around armed with chilly powder. There was sign of trouble in Connaught Place as activists of the two groups came face to face outside Wimpy's but timelpy police intervention prevented any untoward incident.
11th August, 2008
http://www.hindu.com/2008/08/11/stories/2008081161540300.htm
Mr. Ram Dev Yadav killed his wife Geeta and her alleged lover neighbour Jitendra in the Dabri area of Delhi. The crime, committed on 29th July, came to light when the couple's 5yr old son Vicky narrated the gruesome incident during trauma counselling.
nandini raja reports:
October 30, 2008: Bajrang Dal activists attack two
undertrials in Mangalore district sub jail; sixth such attack after
its chief Mahendra Kumar's arrest on September 20.

December 12, 2008: Aggressive posturing at Baba Budangiri by parivar
leaders and Hindu pontiffs

December 27, 2008: Hoysala Sene attacks Fuga bar in Bangalore, alleges
illegal activities

December 28, 2008: Bajrang Dal activists attack a bus ferrying
students on a study tour to Mysore, saying girls and boys from
different religions can't travel together




January 6, 2009: B.V. Seetharam, editor of Mangalore-based newspaper
Karavali Ale, who followed a strong anti-parivar editorial line,
handcuffed and arrested in alleged extortion case. Prior to his
arrest, parivar elements vandalise paper's office.

January 7, 2009: Laddoos distributed in some schools across the state
on Vaikunta Ekadashi. Congress demands biriyani should be distributed
on Ramzan.

January 19, 2009: An arrested dacoit reportedly confesses links with
radical Hindu groups and admits to carrying out the Hubli district
court bombing before the May assembly elections

January 25, 2009: Sri Rama Sene activists attack pub in Mangalore and
molest and beat up women

January 25, 2009: Bajrang Dal activists attack a private party in Mangalore

October 2009- Feb 2010- gangs of men from various right wing Hindu groups such as Sri Ram Sene, Bajrang Dal, Hindu Rashtra Sena, Hindu Jagaran Vedike in Mangalore , Karnataka, assault Hindu women dating Muslim men. They also attack Muslim men and accuse them of waging a 'love jihad'; that is, according to them, a strategic love plan to convert the hindu girl to islam.

The Hindu reports
recommended report- Tinku Ray for the BBC
bbc report also shared here

Italian convicted for staring at woman on train

via Fred Miller

LECCO, Italy (Reuters) - An Italian man was given a suspended jail sentence for staring too intensely at a woman sitting in front of him on a train.

A judge sentenced the man in his 30s, whose name was not revealed, to 10 days in prison and a 40 euro fine after a 55-year old woman filed a complaint for sexual harassment.

His lawyer said on Friday he would appeal the sentence. The court will explain its verdict later.

The two met on two separate occasions in 2005 on a commuter train going from Lecco, a town in northern Italy, to Milan.

The first time, the man sat next to the woman but she felt he had moved too close for comfort. The next day, the man sat in front of the same woman and according to her complaint, stared at her for the whole journey.

The two did not speak.

(Reporting by Silvia Aloisi; Editing by Catherine Evans)

Cars, number plates, harassers: UNWANTED

Weeks ago, I had written of a certain number plate and the man behind the wheel in that car. I posted the facts of the incident on my blog. In a few days, somebody had managed to trace the car registration number and location, and I wa given to understand that the police had paid the owner a friendly visit.

Today, I am doing so again.


Two men - probably in their twenties - in a car.
Number DL9 CP 1579.

On the night of January 9th, Wednesday, about 9.30 pm, this car slows down as these two men see a woman sitting in a blue cycle rickshaw. They follow, from Defence Colony market towards the Lajpat Nagar railway gate. They lean out of the window. The man driving asks the rickshaw-puller, 'Kyon, kya scene hai?' (So what's the scene?)

Awkward, the rickshaw-puller turns to look at his passenger. This is me, sitting stony-faced, and he guages the situation for what it is. He keeps pulling, casting sidelong, frightened glances at the car. I mull over the possibility of fighting back. There is plenty of traffic about and I am not alone. But this is a cycle-rickshaw and a car makes it vulnerable.

One man, middle-aged, in a car.
Number UP 16 Q 1298.

On the night of January 9th, Wednesday, about 9.30 pm, this car slows down a the man sees a woman sitting in a blue cycle rickhaw. He begins to follow, on the road leading to the Lajpat Nagar railway gate, and he peers out of his window, repeating 'come' and 'do you want to come?'

The rickshaw-puller kept turning to look at me. I sat, stony-faced, crossed every finger I had, and held my peace. Ordinarily, in this much traffic, when the going is slower than it would be if one walked, I would just get down and walk about hundred meters and would be home. This night, I didn't. Instead, I requested the rickshaw-puller to stay with me, stuck in this mini-jam for a good fifteen minutes. He agreed wordlessly, head bent, and dropped me to my very doorstep. Out of sheer gratitude and relief, I paid him twice the fare we'd decided on.

I had no camera or I'd have taken pictures and put them up in the 'UNWANTED' section. I did have a phone though, and eyes and a quick thumb. These are the car numbers. This is my personal FIR.

World, are you taking down my complaint?

[And since I am doing this now, here' another: Defence Colony again, near the market, another car had slowed down and followed, and despite my obvious disinterest and discomfort, had repeatedly asked me to get into his car. Number DL3C AP 4910. Date: November 15, 2007]


Blank Noise calls on all women who have been stalked in cars, harassed by drivers of cars (or bikes, or autos) to do the same. If you don't have a camera, use what you do have. Use your eyes, your memory, your phones, a pen and notebook. Put up the number plates here along with a brief description of what happened, where, what time and how you reacted. Treat this act as a personal First Information Report and share it with us so we can put it up in a new unwanted section.

Number-plated memory

Young man. Striped shirt. Big-ish car... cannot tell which make; never cared enough about models and names.

Young man leans out to ask for directions. The rest is a familiar, old story.

'Where is PVR Saket?'
'Do you live around here?'
'Would you like to come with me to PVR?'

And after I say 'No', he says, 'Fucking bitch'.

I stop, turn around, take a good, long look at him. No words. I glance down at his number plate, and walk on ahead.

He follows.

'Excuse me, ma'am. Sorry, ma'am.'

Whoever was driving HR29 Q 1782, on Monday evening, June 18th, 2007, is not a very nice young man. The apology was not accepted.

[Cross-posted on known turf]

UNWANTED. SECTION 354

because I hate to keep you in suspense I am writing about what happened a month after I put these photos up!

bus from kerala to karnataka. I need to get to my seat. The man standing in front of me wont move and let me get to my seat. I say" excuse me? "/ " solpa side please?!"/

He gives me the blank look after which I direct my hands in a manner that indicates he must move a little away from me so that I can reach my seat. After all, the last thing I need to do is get my body brushed against a stranger's- especially when there is no dirth of space.

He succumbs but hisses a " zzzxsssk!" staring my anatomy into little pieces.

In less than 3 minutes I realize that he has the seat in front of me. The seats recline, the hands recline even further.

All between him and me is the needle.