NEWS
Woman molested in bar, then attacked by mob
In a deserted area in downtown Kolkata on Sunday night, a young woman ran for her life from a group of molesters, chased by a band of locals who had joined in for fun.
Bleeding from deep cuts, breathless and panic-stricken, she saw a bus and made a desperate leap for it.
But to her horror, the gang stopped the bus, pulled her out and started beating her. No one in the bus helped her, The Times of India reported.
The assault continued until the 21-year-old woman, who wasn't named, collapsed on the road, wailing and pleading for mercy.
She feared it would get worse, but fortunately for her, the attackers lost their nerve when they saw that she was bleeding heavily from her injuries, and they fled.
The woman is also a key witness in a rape case that allegedly happened in a downtown area of the city, which brought home the unpleasant truth that Kolkata, in the Indian state of West Bengal, may be getting increasingly unsafe for women.
She had come forward with information to help the police arrest the alleged rapists.
When the Times of India met the woman at a hospital on Monday, her right arm was in a sling. She had also needed stitches for her injuries.
She said that she and her friends had been to a lounge bar. They were usually accompanied by male friends, but not that day.
"On Sunday, it was just us three girls. When we reached at 11pm, it was very crowded. Even the bar stools were taken, so we stood near the bar."
The three friends were happily chatting, when a man suddenly grabbed her from behind, she claimed. She said: "I immediately wrenched myself out of his grasp and shoved him with my elbows. Then I turned around and pushed him away with my hands."
The man stumbled from the forcefulness of the counterattack and staggered back a few steps. It is not known whether the man was among those who then attacked her.
| Page |
|
