In one of the rarer instances, a woman professor who was a victim of stalking and abuse has followed through by filing a complaint with the police.
Activists say despite stalking now being an offence, it continues to be glorified in popular media. Actual follow-through with complaints and convictions are not common.
The incident took place on Tuesday morning when an assistant professor of a city college was followed and assaulted by a man in Nungambakkam. He then sped away on his motorcycle.
The victim, who managed to remember the bike’s registration number, filed a complaint on Thursday evening.
At the time of filing this report, the police had taken cognisance of the complaint with an entry in the community service register (CSR). However, a first information report (FIR) had not yet been filed.
Tuesday morning started just like any other for the 26-year-old, who prefers to remain anonymous. Around 8 a.m., she was on her way to work on a two-wheeler when, at Vadapalani signal, she noticed a man on a motorcycle following her.
“He made a remark, but I ignored him and kept riding. He followed me,” she said.
Near Gokulam signal, the man called out to her again, saying, ‘you are beautiful’. The man, she said, was well dressed and seemed to be an office-goer.
“By this time, I was shocked and a little scared. But since it was daytime, I didn’t think anything would happen,” she said.
On a deserted stretch on Veerabadran Street, however, the man on the bike rammed her two-wheeler, knocking her down. “He hit me, slapped and groped me. I began shouting and luckily, two men passing by, came to my aid. The assaulter got on his bike and fled,” she said.
The victim then approached the police for help. According to the Nungambakkam police, the complaint has been received and a probe is under way.
Under the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2013, stalking is an offence.
Despite this, experts said, a culture that equates stalking to wooing persists in the State.
“Many of our films continue to show men stalking women, despite their disinterest, and in the end, winning over the women. All this does is perpetuate the notion that stalking is okay — when in reality, it can, and often, leads to violence against women,” said Anupama Srinivasan, programme director, Prajnya, an NGO working in the area of gender violence.
When it comes to the law, Ms. Srinivasan said, what deters a lot of women from making complaints is the fear of the issue escalating.
“There is no guarantee that once you complain, the problem will go away. What if it worsens? That’s always a fear,” she said.
(Additional reporting by Petlee Peter)