CED Documentation is for your personal reference and study only

I was attacked on February 24 at around 9 pm. I was walking down Vasanthnagar, Bangalore, after I’d wrapped up work looking for an auto. At the underbridge, I noticed four men walking down the road towards me. I crossed over to the other side, just in case. I continued to walk towards Kodava Samaj. Suddenly, I realised the four men had crossed the road as well. Once they were close enough they started pushing me and passing comments. I tried to ignore them, stepped around them and continued walking. They turned around and walked towards me and started pushing me around. I finally lost my temper and turned and told them to leave me alone.

One of them came really close and started abusing me in Kannada and Hindi. At that point I pushed him away from me. The next thing I know I’m in the middle of a roadside brawl. The guy who spoke to me punched me and the other three started hitting me as well. I fought back and all of us were in a scuffle. All through the attack I was abused in Hindi and Kannada for wearing jeans and fighting back. After what seemed like eternity, I heard an auto go by and I shouted out to him. Luckily, he stopped.

For a split second, the four men were taken aback and let go off me. I pushed them and ran across the road, climbed into the auto and begged him to take me home. The four men followed me to the auto and tried to drag me out. At that point, the auto driver started the vehicle and rode away. The whole attack must have happened in a span of about five to six minutes.

The past month has been a grim one for Banga­lore. Seven violent attacks in a span of three weeks. The age-old cliché, “it won’t happen to me”, is redundant. It can and is happening to us. Fear is a powerful thing — the fear of getting attacked and getting involved. However, fear is a cyclical thing. The fear of reacting can lead to a society that is tolerant of violence which in turn results in attacks such as these. Fear can only be tackled through the support of the general public; through the refusal to accept such a culture.

The issue isn’t about a person’s cultural identity or gender. These violent attacks are symptomatic of a bigger problem. They are symptoma­tic of how violence is an accepted part of this society where apathy is a way of life. Broadening minds is no easy task, especially given the stark differences in lifestyles in Indian cities. We need people to get involved. We need people to come forward and report attacks happening around the city. We need people to write informed letters of protest, to speak out in the media, for everyone to do everything or even something, in their own professional and personal capacity to address what’s going on; tangible action and not just conversations over a meal. It is not about a social revolution but doing something that is to the best of our abilities in our own little way. If you are attacked, file a complaint. If you see someone being attacked, step in. If you are too scared to do so, call for help. Today, all of us stand at a crossroad but the choice is ours. We need to decide whether we’ll allow fear to overpower us or whether we’ll overcome it. Let people know that as a city, Bangalore will not tolerate or condone an act of violence against anybody. Remember the biggest thing to fear is fear itself.

— This is a first-person account of a recent victim of street violence in Bangalore

Filing an FIR

As the number of incidents of attack on women are increasing in India, here are some tips to be followed while filing an FIR (first information report). While filing the report, it will help to go in a group of around five to ten people. The person reporting the incident has to know the difference between filing an FIR and filing a complaint. Police often do not record such incidents as FIR but just a complaint. An FIR would help consolidate and track such incidents by a higher authority.

Difference between an fir and a complaint

An FIR induces further investigation into the incident (either by a magistrate court or a higher court) and a ‘police complaint’ may be handled only by the local station.

General procedure

Any case that involves attacks on women will automatically become a cognisable offence, a case in which a police officer can make an arrest without a warrant.

Certain things that are mandatory

* Incident date * Time of the incident * Place of occurrence * Facts related to case * Witnesses, if any * Documentation, if any * Description of assailants (voice, height, build, clothing, etc) * The person reporting the incident has to be willing to identify suspects if called on a later date. This should be mentioned in your FIR.

More information you need to know

These details are present in a book — Criminal Procedure Code, which must be available at any police station. As a person reporting the incident, it‘s safer to verify the IPC under which your case is being filed.

ipc provisions for your reference

* 319: Hurt

* 320: Grievous hurt

* 321: Voluntarily causing hurt

* 322: Voluntarily causing grievous hurt

* 323: Punishment for voluntarily causing hurt

* 324: Voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means

* 326: Voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means

* 307: Attempt to murder




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