06/01/2011 / INDIA
Video posted on YouTube by amitsheshma. From 0'32, the same scene is shot with a different camera. This footage shows women in the rest of the compartment watching the action and smiling.
Was 'man-beating' incident in Delhi subway's women-only compartment actually staged?
A video of male passengers being slapped around by angry women after they entered a women-only compartment in the New Delhi underground has been viewed over 100,000 times on YouTube. Some viewers think the incident was especially staged for cameras.
The incident occurred on November 26 at a station in Guargon, 30 km south of New Delhi.The footage shows several men barge into a subway train, ignoring the large pink “women-only” sign above the door. Once inside, they are slapped around and heckled by several women before being shoved out by police (although it is unclear from Indian news reports whether the agents are subway guards or state police.) They are then forced to crouch down on the ground with their hands on their heads, a punishment usually reserved for naughty children in India.
The Delhi underground inaugurated women-only compartments on October 2, 2010, following repeated complaints from female passengers appalled by the staring, groping and eve-teasing they were subjected to in trains, particularly during peak hours.
The beating incident got mixed responses from Web viewers who saw the video. Some thought the men had no business trying to ride in a women-only compartment, and got what they deserved. Others were outraged that police physically abused the trespassing men instead of imposing the planned 200 rupee [3,35 euros] fine for the offence. And several raised the question: were the women who slapped the men really passengers? And did someone just “happen” to film the scene? We asked our Observers what they thought.
“Indian police sometimes stage stunts like this before the media to show that they are not indolent”
Arpan Banerjee is a media lawyer in New Delhi.
Indian police sometimes stage stunts like this before the media to show that they are not indolent. I suspect that a few journalists were informed about this because there are flashes when the men are brought onto the platform, and the policewomen seem to be glancing in the direction of the flashes. Also, between 0:50 and 0:53 I can see a professional still camera. In the case of this footage, I personally think that the camera man is a pro [editor’s note: at times, the footage seems too smooth to be shot by an amateur] but the camera is amateur. It's quite possible that the police did not want a huge TV crew on the platform.”
"I think the beating was a good thing, it might teach these men to treat women with respect"
Abhishek Khanna lives in New Delhi. He writes for the blog The Furorbiker.
Women-only compartments are very necessary in Delhi. The subway is much too crowded at peak hours, and some men take advantage of the situation to touch women in a disrespectful manner. Giving women their own space was a very good decision. When the women-only compartments were inaugurated, there were big announcements and a lot of media coverage, so everyone knows men are not supposed to go in. The men who still do so are blatantly breaking the law, trying to be macho and bullying the women into not saying anything. I think the beating was a good thing, it might teach them to treat women with respect.
No-one knows who shot this video, but most people think it was taken by some passenger. What is more obvious is that the women beating the men look like plain clothes police officers. They are too rough to be students or women going to the office. They keep their hair short or tied up, and look disciplined and accustomed to hitting people. I believe they were women police posted in the compartment to protect the passengers.”
Post written with France 24 journalist Lorena Galliot.
Comments
Comment to Abshishek Khanna
Submitted by Niel Mukherjee (not verified) on Fri, 08/07/2011 - 11:44.i am not sure why there is such a big support on thrashing of these men. Were they some thugs, thieves , scamstars or did they enter brothel (considering prostitution being illigeal in India while we have the largest pool of ladies who are Commericial Sex Workers).
The mess in itself is pathetic and the people who supported this are pathetic too.
If you support such JUSTICE then why not barge into the Indian Parliament today and start beating up all the people who are sitting there and have sucked out all your money into their pockets and bank accounts.
These people were ordinary people who travel everyday to either earn their daily wages or go to study. There are numerous ways available to tackle this problem of so called Men getting into Ladies Compartment. They could have been detained, fined heavily etc but was violence the best tool available for our protectors or Law Enforcement agencies to deal with this problem.
Hats of to INDIAN LAW ENFORCEMENT agencies who are big BULLS who in the name of Law enforcement can go to any depths and beat up normal and ordinary Indian Citizens. But suddenly that BIG BULL becomes castrated while dealing with some corrupt person who has power.
This only displays how Democratic!!!!! Republic!!!! of India!!! functions to the whole WORLD (please note that these videos are displayed to the whole world) and if you think that shameing these ordinary Indian Men infront of the whole world is best tool available to you being a women/MEN. Then i must say that you have shamed yourself too. Coz you are an Indian as well....and you have shamed your COUNTRY....
This act is SHAMEFULL.The people who (POLICE officers and others who did this) are sick and the people who supports such acts are sick as well.
If this is the punishment which everyone has been vouching and thinking about ....then there wont be any law...and Anarchy with MOB JUSTICE will rule
INDIA very soon...
LONG LIVE THE STATE OF INDIA!!! LONG LIVE THE ORDINARY INDIAN CITIZEN!!!....
Well Done all of You...Keep your BEST WORK UP!!!
human rights
Submitted by jaswinder singh (not verified) on Thu, 13/01/2011 - 15:20.what is the value of comman men in india this video showed us very clearely we r not safe in our country and not respected in our country how can other countries respect our citizens
police is for our protection not for behave like this not for beaten people like animals
how brutly beaten peopls
but in india nobody care about it this is commen thing in india mainly we r responsible for it because we r now habtual these kinds of things
its show democracy of india
its show what is valeu of ur vots
these police officers should be nominated for nationl awards
this is our social values and respect done by peopls whose r recuted for our safty
for our protection