PUNE, Nov 17: Lonely alleys after dark are taboo for the fair sex, but even main roads in broad daylight do not seem to be any different.This is what Preeta Mathur (name changed) learnt on the morning of November 16. The 16-year-old girl was insulted and abused physically on a busy street even as the crowd remained mere spectators. To heap more humiliation on her, the culprit has reportedly got away with a token punishment.Walking to her workplace at 10.00 a.m. little did Preeta know that the next few minutes were going to be the worst moments of her young life. Crossing the road as she always did at the busy Tilak Chowk, Nigdi, she was rudely shocked when the driver, Valmiki Jaywantrao Bendre, of a six-seater waiting for passengers deliberately brushed against her.Preeta, an uncompromising girl, rebuked him and retaliated with a tight slap across his face. ``I could smell liquor on his breath. And his nonchalant attitude infuriated me and hence I slapped him,''she said.Seeing that the passengers in the six-seater were merely acting as spectators, Preeta continued on her way unaware that the Bendre was following her. To her shock the man held her by the wrists, broke her glass bangles and slapped her in full view of all the pedestrians and shopkeepers.He then dragged her screaming, ``Let's go.'' By now Preeta felt defenceless, flustered and scared. ``I was feeling insulted. The crowd was staring at me but nobody came forward to help me. I freed my hand and rushed to my workplace sobbing''.Though her boss advised her to file a complaint against Bendre, Preeta and her mother decided against it. ``It is only going to affect my child's reputation and we will be drawn into an endless litigation,'' says her mother. ``My father is a heart patient. He recently underwent a by-pass surgery and he cannot control his temper. If he gets to know of this incident we are scared that it may affect his health,'' says Preeta.But Preeta cannot digest the fact that the people on the road stood like dummies when the incident happened. ``I take that road daily and the shopkeepers know me by sight yet nobody came to my help''.Suresh Lande, the constable who was on duty took Valmiki into custody on charges of causing public disturbance and disturbing the traffic movement under section 112 and 117 of the Bombay Police Act.When contacted, the Pradhikaran police said, ``If the girl had filed a complaint right action could be taken against the driver. We had no option but to take him in on lighter charges''.
