A letter to Mr. Modi, about my ordeal.

Subject: Molestation and denial of justice, along with misconduct of Police officers at Satellite Police Station towards a woman complainant.

18-12-08

Dear Sir,

This is to bring to your notice the horrible and excruciating mental as well as physical torture that I have been facing since the last few days, after being assaulted, abused and molested by a group of drunken goons with “high profile contacts”.

I must introduce myself to you first. I am a 24 year old girl who always believed in the law and order provision in the state of Gujarat, which I have always been internally and verbally proud of. Being Gujarati’s living in Delhi, I grew up listening to the alarming crime rate and police corruption in Delhi compared to our home state Gujarat. I moved here in 2000. Having done the last leg of my schooling as well as my college from Ahmedabad, I have made a score of friends of all genders, races, religions and economic background. I moved to Delhi once again to pursue a master’s degree in Journalism at Jamia Millia Islamia and then worked for a year at an English news-channel in Delhi.

I was sent by my channel to cover the last Gujarat elections, and so was researching the development claims of the state as well as heard in person Mr. Modi talk about his brilliant administration skills, police reforms and safety of women in his state. I must admit I was convinced and quite impressed by his fiery words and his apparent sincerity towards making Gujarat the best state to live in.

I particularly remember him claiming in media on various occasions,

“All the women in Gujarat are like my daughters and sisters and any attack on them or their modesty is taken personally by me and I will ensure that they can live in dignity and any offenders against them are brought to quick action and justice”

Fed up with the constant fear of my safety in Delhi, and because of my faith in the Modi administration, I moved to Ahmedabad, about six months ago and joined a local English daily newspaper. I thought that my safety and contribution towards my state was more important than my personal, professional growth.

I wonder where this “brother” of mine was on Thursday night, and days after that, since the time I was assaulted for eating Non-veg with some Muslim acquaintances, which had brought some self-cooked Eid delicacies to treat their Hindu friends living in this side of the city. The “Muslim” boys in question are all from clean, normal backgrounds and simple backgrounds.

On the day of the event (Thursday night), around 10.30 pm, I was returning from a drive and chai with an old friend (Vishal Kurani), and was on my way to drop him at his house, which is a few meters from mine (I live in Shyamal row houses, and he in kaladeep apptmnts, satellite). As I drove my car past Dhananjay towers, where a branch of “Café coffee day is located” I saw a bunch of guys I know as acquaintances, since they too often visit this coffee shop like me. I go to this coffee shop to spend some evenings, and often go alone and have coffee while reading. But since you tend to get a little friendly with other patrons, one runs into at such places, I knew these guys a little and while most of them are Hindu and live nearby some of them (4-5) are Muslims, living on the other side of the bridge and visit here to meet their old school or college friends. They waved me to stop and as we exchanged greetings, they told me that they had cooked some special eid food for their Hindu friends and brought it along to treat them. They also invited me and my friend to join them as there was lots of food. As I was in a hurry to go back home, but also thought it impolite to turn down their invitation I told them we could have our feast right there. We set up the meal boxes on a parapet outside Twinkle complex (opposite CCD) and began to eat. Within a few minutes of this (time was around 11 pm) three-four people emerged from the vacant basement-parking of Twinkle complex, which is usually locked and started shouting for “Shankar” to lock it again. Shankar is the watchman of Twinkle complex and it was obvious all these men were drunk, and were having a drinking session in the basement. When they noticed us eating, with no provocation, they started asking us to get lost in crude and abusive language, and even took Shankar’s “danda” to scare us. Not wanting any trouble we told them that we were just eating food, and if it troubles them we will move and the boys promptly started packing up the Tiffin boxes (since these goons are famous for their anti-social behavior around this area). When they noticed that some of the people were Muslim and the food non-veg, they got even angrier and started abusing and screaming more, along with shoving and pushing us from the complex. It was when they slapped one of the boys there, that I lost my temper and with all the politeness I could manage told them that we are just eating, and that’s not a crime, whereas they were drunk and if I called the police, its them who would get into trouble. At this the man attacked me and tried to punch me and grope me, even as my friends tried to push him away. I was shocked at the audacity of this man, and he kept threatening to get me picked-up by the police that I call as he is a bharwad and has the satellite police in his pocket. I told him that I’m also a media worker and being an educated girl I know the law, so he should not threaten me. As it was just 11 PM and a lot of people were watching the scene, I was confident that the public itself would not let him misbehave with me. But I was to see otherwise and he along with his friends started running in my direction with their fists out to punch me and while my friends tackled 2-3 of his guys (b y the time shankar the watchman and a few other goons had joined him) he sneaked towards me and while saying such vulgar things he grabbed me, hit me and tried to molest me even as I tried to protect myself with my shoe.

To my surprise not a single member of the public even tried to help or call the police. As I fought to disengage from this guy he threatened me further to shoot me and reached for something in his pocket. And started running behind me.

By now I knew that the public would do nothing to help, and that all my friends were on the defensive to protect me from the perverted intentions of this man, which he repeatedly announced loudly, while trying to get to me. I ran towards Sachin towers, and he followed me on his scooter. Once inside the safety of another building and within a circle of people, I called the control room and reported the incident. They instead of rushing to the scene, where a girl is asking for help from a drunken sexual assaulter started wasting time on the phone and not even bothering to correctly noting down the scene of the incident. As I waited for the police as my car was still parked near twinkle complex, most people around me advised me to not take this any further and that I should just forget all about it. Since I’m a media professional as well as an educator to young kids, I denied any such advised and waited for the police car to arrive. When no one came by till 20 mins, I called the control room again and it took another twenty minutes for them to get there. I just shudder at the reaction time of the Gujarat police, and it gave enough time for all of these men to run away on their bike and scooter. When the police arrived and heard the story, they went in the building to search for the watchman, as by now it was obvious to all standing there that those drunkards were his friends. The patrolling team searched for him all over, but he too had run away, to avoid the alcohol detection, the smell of which was reeking till a long distance. At this point the time was around 1AM but neither the watchman nor those men returned.

The police then asked me what I wanted to do, and I told them I would want to go the legal way and file a complaint about what has happened. They asked me to come to the Satellite police station, and two of my friends who were present there accompanied me. The police also saw the wound marks on the faces of the guys, who had been punched by these goons.

At the station, I met the PSI on duty, Mr. Sada. He and the other cops heard my story and then they said that they could not file an FIR as I did not know the name of the man who attacked me, so they wrote a formal complaint and took my signature, in which I clearly mentioned that the watchman of the complex along with some people he knew were involved. I signed the complaint, and was told to go find the names of those people and then file an FIR.

At that time because of the chaos as well as the pretension of the cops that they were on my side, I believed what they said. It did not really occur to me then that it “can not” be mandatory to know the names of your attackers to file an FIR as most crimes are committed by strangers. Also is it the work of the police or the victim to find out the names of the attackers? Specially when I had clearly told them the name of the watchman and that he knew the other guys as well, was it not their job to first get him and then extract the names of the goons? PSI Sada also yelled at my friends for not being able to protect a girl who was with them, and called them names for not being man enough, this probably pinched them. He also told me that he was off the next day so I should come back on Saturday with the names to file the FIR and also that I should come alone without these boys as he was irritated by their cowardice.

The next day as instructed by PSI Sada, (Friday afternoon), I went again to twinkle complex and took pictures of Shankar, the place of the incident, Shankar making calls to his builder as well as the outside and inside photos of the dark empty garage where these men had been drinking. I also met the builder who first subtly threatened me by calling the PSI on duty then Mr. Chaudhary from his phone and made me talk to him, who on the phone told me in an intimidating manner that there was no such complaint that was filed last night. When I still refused to back down, the builder (Vithal bhai Patel) first gave me a wrong name and phone number and then kept mentioning the contacts he has in the police. Having taken the pictures and the information that I could collect in the most polite manner (all shop keepers and residents can be asked to confirm this). After this I went home and decided to get some rest till the next day when Mr. Sada had called me (between 12 pm to 8 pm).

At about 9 pm on Friday, I got a call from one of the guys who had accompanied me the day before (Vishal Thakkar), that he had gotten the name of the main attacker (Hira bhai Bharwad), and that I could now file the FIR, I even scolded him for interfering since he was not aware I had already visited the spot and met Shankar before. I reached the place after some time and was informed by some people present there that Vishal had caught Shankar and just threatened to hit him, unless he told the names of the other guys. At this Shankar got scared and gave the names, but requested Vishal not to say that he had told him the names as he was scared of the builders.

BY the time I reached the scene, I was informed that the builders of Twinkle complex had already arrived at the scene and had been calling the cops, and instructed Shankar on what to say to them, by now his wife also started falsely screaming and making noise. When the Police van reached the spot, Shankar told them that one guy had slapped him and taken his mobile and wallet, at this I informed the cops about my complain against shankar the night before, and that Vishal had simply gone home and was not absconding, I also volunteered to go to the Police station on his behalf and two of his friends who were present at the fight incident on Thursday (Wasim and Yassar). It was also proved on the spot that Shankar was lying about his mobile phone as he had called the control room with his mobile phone itself.

The police PSI- Chaudhary present at the satellite station told me that since it was some other officer on duty when the complaint was launched, he would not take any action (from when did the police start working on per-client basis?) By then the builder (Vithal bhai Patel) had arrived on the scene, and once he knew that we now knew the name of “Hira bharwad”, who is his friend and that I am on my way to file a legal FIR against him. He immediately called Mr. Chaudhary and asked Shankar to lodge a false complain against Vishal that he slapped him and took his wallet (both statements are false), and that he then ran away. I told the cops that Vishal had not run and I called him to come to the Police station to clear his name, and he came there on his own.

At the station, the builders( Vithal Patel and his partner Ashok Thakore), their goons were already present, and even though I informed the present PSI on duty Mr. Chaudhary, that Shankar was lying since I had already lodged a complaint against him the night before, they should at least have a look at that. Mr. Chaudhary was rude and demeaning towards me, and when I told them about the incidents of the night before, all the present cops were laughing and making jokes. Mr. Chaudhary even refused to file my FIR and told his subordinates to write down Shankar’s complaint first. Shankar’s statements were obviously inconsistent and he rambled on saying only one guy (vishal) had hit him. Then after some egging on from Mr. Chaudhary he changed it to the fact that even I was present there and the two guys accompanying me were there as well (It can be easily proved that they weren’t). At this point Vishal, who was unaware of anything called me and I told him that since he was falsely accusing him, he should come down to the station and clarify, at this Vishal came to the police station himself. As I was already frustrated at the behavior of the way the police was talking to me I started video taping their behavior, and they threatened to break my phone, and even made some people from the newspaper I was working for till a month back to call me and pressurizing me to take my case back.

Even after filing Shankar’s complaint first, Mr. Chaudhary refused to look into my case and said I should talk to the cop who was on duty the day before. Shankar filed a case against my friend of slapping him, since his false claims of wallet snatching were obviously fake. Immediately Vishal was surrounded by the cops, and they also took in the 2 guys, who’s only involvement in the case was that they accompanied me to the station; strip searched them (for an assault case) and put them in the lock up. I video taped the whole scene amidst physical and verbal threatening from the police. All this while the accused watchman was hanging around freely and I even requested the police to at least take his phone and check his phone logs to get numbers off Mr. Bharwad, but none of this was done and the guy was allowed to go with the evidence, while innocent boys were put into the lock up for “allegedly” slapping a molestation and anti-prohibition accused.

When they tried to snatch my camera and phone I told them that since I am a media person I’m just recording the prompt action of the GUJARAT POLICE. At this they threatened me further, and even though I was crying out of frustration, they all laughed and made fun of me saying “this is where the media stands compared to the police”.

I repeatedly asked for a lady constable as I was not feeling comfortable discussing the details of the attack on me, which was verbally and physically sexual in nature along with assault. They rudely told me there was no one like that and that if I pressed it any further they would beat my friends in the lock up. At this point I was left with no choice but to call my friends from newspapers to bring to light how the Gujarat Police treats a woman, who goes to them for help from a drunken sexual assaulter. After a surprise visit from the DCP Mr. Katara, who heard my story and reprimanded PSI Chaudhary, IN front of Mr. Katara too, Vithal bhai fearlessly claimed that he was the president of the builders association and he had personally collected Rs. 35 Lacks to build the satellite police station. Al though Chaudhary now agreed to file my FIR and here again, I requested for a female constable, since I was uncomfortable, they refused to do so. They also only noted half my complain using the IPC sections for molestation, verbal abuse and gang assault. There was no mentioning of the fact that Hira bharwad had assaulted me and also that he was drunk and absconding when the police came to the scene. While the boys who decided to help me had to spend a night in the lock-up, for an alleged slap to extract the main accused’s name, even though they had come in to the police station themselves. There was no investigation or validation of the accusation and the watchman had no signs of any physical violence done on him. When I questioned the same they said this was procedure and that since there was an FIR they had to put the boys in the lock-up, even though Shankar, the builder Vithal Patel and Ashok Barot breezily walked out of the station, even after my FIR against them.

When I asked what section had they put the other 2 guys inside the lock up for, they said as accomplices, even though those guys were not present at the scene and had come with me to help me lodge my complain.

They refused to let the 3 guys out of the lock up, and since me and the media workers decided to hang around as we could not trust the cops to not beat up or mistreat these pro-active boys who helped me in a time of intense psychological trauma. Mr. Chaudhary kept conveying either threats, when that didn’t work, I was told that these boys can be let out that night only if I withdrew my complain against the builders of Twinkle complex as well as Bharwad. They also kept hinting that a lot can happen over one night and they can put any section they want against my friends if I don’t back off. The brave and upright boys refused to let me do so and assured me that they had no problem taking this little trouble as I was fighting for the right thing. And I thank Ahmedabad mirror for coming there promptly, as well as all my colleagues in the media, who stood by me outside the police station all night to support me as well as ensure no mistreatment was done towards my friends in the lock up.

With none of their pressure tactics working, and the misconduct video of the satellite police in my position, they further threatened all of us present that they would do a case on me if I did not withdraw my complain, and against all of us for interfering in police work, by taking pictures of the misbehaving cops. If interfering at the “goondagardi” and misuse of a civil service office by taking visual proof is interference, then hang me.

The Gujarat government has been claiming for years, how Gujarat is one of the safest states in the country for women, I always agreed to that but I know today that the police or administration have no contribution in this, but the naturally peaceful nature of Amdavadis themselves that makes this state safe.

I am an educated, well informed woman and have a good knowledge of the law and my civil rights, and yet after going through a public molestation and assault outside my own house, I received no assistance from the police (except a few upright officers who conveyed their sympathy, but also told me that they weren’t in a position to oppose their senior Mr. Chaudhary, who by his behavior with the builders made it obvious that he had a deeper association with them than just complainant and police man). I shudder at the thought of what a poor, uneducated woman has to go through if she wishes to complain against such “goondas”. I now know why there are such a high percentage of rape, assault and sexual harassment cases that go unreported. Maybe Gujarat’s statistics are low in crimes against women because officers like Mr. Chaudhary refuse to file an FIR about these cases.

Ahmedabad is the safest city for women, and satellite police station is “supposedly” the beacon of the government’s reformation of the state police. Yet at this high-tech police station, with the latest infrastructure and facilities not a single woman police or constable is present for dealing with female victims of sexual harassment, which statistically are the highest during the night. The male officers too, instead of treating an already traumatized woman with sensitivity, compassion and providing assurance of justice and safety, not only ignore but also ridicule, laugh and crack vulgar jokes with the accused and do not even hesitate from using unlawful means on putting pressure.

The next day I was sure that all dailies would carry this story as all crime reporters were present at the scene; instead I got apologetic calls from all of them saying that the PI Mr. JJ Patel had personally made threatening calls to all the editors against carrying the story or he would book cases against their reporters.

Ahmedabad Mirror was the only paper to carry this story and I thank them for their support and appreciate them for their support.

The boys were kept in the lock up for 3 days, were beaten and threatened with false charges. Their families too were forced to put pressure on me to withdraw my complaint if they wanted their sons out. I however thank these brave boys for putting up with Police atrocities, and standing by me and assuring me that they did not care how long they were inside, but I should not retract my complain.

Even after being let out after 3 days (3 guys for 2 slaps), they were threatened to be booked under PASA soon as they were Muslims.

Even I was threatened that if I showed up at the police station I too would be put in the lock up on false charges of slapping a cop, pulling his collar and assaulting him. The also said that they would ensure I was defamed in society, and they started a character assassination movement against me around my locality.

The FIR that they filed in Gujarati (which I told them was a language I couldn’t read) is false and half baked, and only few of the applicable IPC sections have been applied. The sections for –“drinking in prohibition area”, assault on me and my friends is not even mentioned, neither is the pressure tactics that they used.

I ask you, as a woman of your state, who always had complete faith in your administration to help me, and bring to justice the perpetrators of physical and sexual violence against me, as well as the cops who instead of doing their duty tortured a girl who came to file an FIR.

Every time I or my representatives called PI JJ PATEL to as about the status of the case we are told by him that he is “in rest” and we should call later. I do not understand that if I resting morning, noon and night; when exactly does he work.

Up till now not a single arrest has been made on my complaint and the accused brazenly roam around my house mocking and threatening me, if I dared to go against them.

I ask you today sir, if an educated, law informed journalist like me is treated in this manner, how can any poor, uneducated women expect any justice from your system?

I write you this letter after trying every legal way possible and hope that you will live up to your promises of protecting the women of your state and help me get justice.

Thanking You,

Garima Bhatt

75/ 3A Shyamal Row houses,

Satellite

Ahmedabad.

Ph- 9099151405

Email: bhatt.garima@gmail.com

ITs time guys to walk my talk..and fight against the system!

Hi guys...
Some of you living in Ahmedabad and those who know me already might have already read or heard about the incident. I'm sure some of u smirked and said "thats just like her to unnecessarily get into trouble", well to that i have no answer. But what i do want to say to every one who reads this is that Im a girl...a tough girl..i'm a dreamer..an idealist..bohemian...feminist and so a failed journalist(where these qualities are the worse qualifications in the "business" of news today).
I have always said and debated and stood by the ideology that our life is what we make it. Don't blame the system, the machine, corruption or a mediocre identity for your lack of courage to go for what you want. The path of the righteous man is filled with obstacles, coz if the road to reach your utopia was easy...it wouldn't really be worth it would it? stand for your rights, stand for your rights, even if you stand alone...and do your duties (only then can u demand your rights). I believe that the power of the will and tenacity of an individual can bring down great empires. You say we are not Gandhi, mandela, or martin luther king, but I say were they not born as you and me? they became who they did for they had the courage to fight the system which was much bigger and powerful than they were, have we learnt nothing from them? will we always wait for some "superman" to be born and save us, and till then quietly swallow our dignity, violations of our rights and blame it on our lack of power?

To tose who still don't know what I'm talking about.... here's the brief. A few days ago as i sat on a busy road side pavement of a posh colony(next to my house), under the street-light in Ahmedabad "india's safest city for women". I had just joined an impromtu eid treat that some friends-of-friends were giving (having cooked some delicacies of eid themselves to treat their hindu friends), when suddenly we were attacked by some drunk goons who were racist, perverted and drunk with both alcohol and power. What followed was a horrendous ordeal...

http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?page=article&sectid=3&contentid=2008121420081214023042316bd0c3f63&sectxslt=#ftr2


Woman molested, chased by goons on busy road, Are we going the Delhi way?

Garima Bhatt, from Satellite, was enjoying Eid feast with her friends near Shyamal crossroads on Thursday night when four men attacked her

By Zahid Qureshi
Posted On Sunday, December 14, 2008

An Eid revelry turned into a nightmare on Thursday night for a young girl and seven of her friends. A Satellite resident, Garima Bhatt, 25, was molested, punched, and chased around on a two-wheeler between 10.30 pm and 11 pm by four men near Shyamal crossroads.

To complete Bhatt’s misery, the cops initially refused to register her complaint and in fact, took into custody a couple of her friends. Her complaint was registered by the Satellite police only on Friday, and that too following an altercation with the victim.

According to Bhatt’s complaint, two of her friends, Wasim and Yassar, offered to treat her group, which included five others, to Bakr Eid feast. They decided to meet at Twinkle Complex opposite Dhananjay Towers near Shyamal crossroads at 10.30 pm.

Even as the eight enjoyed the feast in a car, four men approached them from a nearby garage and started abusing them.

Bhatt in her complaint said the men seemed drunk. She further said the men used abusive language, and demanded to know why Bhatt and her friends were consuming non-vegetarian food in the open.

Bhatt said in her complaint that one of the four even slapped her friend. Scared and unwilling to create a scene, Bhatt and her friends prepared to leave from the spot when suddenly, she claimed, her shoulder was pulled by one of the men.

Even as the man, whose identity Bhatt is not aware of, tried to pull her towards him, she managed to push him and ran towards Shyamal crossroads hoping to draw people’s attention.

Bhatt told the police that one of her attackers chased her on a scooter. Bhatt claimed the man then tried to hug her, even as her friends, who had reached her by that time, attempted to keep him at bay.

Soon a crowd gathered there, but nobody, Bhatt claimed, came forward to help her. She dialled 108 Emergency services. Her call was re-routed to the Satellite police station, from where a team of policemen reached the spot within 20 minutes. By the time cops landed there, the four men had fled the place.

Bhatt and her friends then went to the Satellite police station but to their surprise, the cops refused to register a first information report (FIR) as Bhatt didn’t know the names of her attackers. Bhatt said she was rattled when the policemen instead rapped her friends for their “inability to protect a female friend.”

On Friday, Bhatt said she went back to Twinkle Complex on Friday afternoon to find out the identity of the men who had attacked her. However, she didn’t meet anyone there and came away.

Later on Friday, around 9 pm, Bhatt’s friend, identified as Vishal Thakkar, also visited the complex to see if Bhatt’s attackers were around.

There, Thakkar had an argument with a security guard named Shankar, posted at the complex. Following the argument, Shankar called up the police control room.

Bhatt said when she visited the Satellite police station along with Wasim and Yassar around 10.15 pm on Friday, she was asked to call Thakkar there. Once Thakkar reached the police station, he, along with Wasim and Yassar, were detained on the basis of Shankar’s complaint, Bhatt added.

Bhatt then took help of her friends. One of them, she claimed, put pressure on the police to register an FIR and also secured the release of Thakkar, Wasim and Yassar.

In an e-mail to Ahmedabad Mirror, Bhatt said she was shocked that something like this should happen in Ahmedabad, which is considered one of the safest city for women, in the country. She said what galled her completely was the police’s lackadaisical attitude in bringing her attackers to book.

Bhatt also said that she was made to feel uncomfortable at the Satellite police station, which refused her an access to a female constable while she gave details of her ordeal.

Copyright 2008 Bennett Coleman & Co. Ltd. . All rights reserved.



But guys...I've started a fight and will make sure that all these perverts and corrupt police are brought to justice..and are taught a lesson! they messed with the wrong gal this time...and i'll make sure they pay!
Read on this blog...to follow my step by step story, and join my fight even if it's just be reading and praying for me...I need you guys to be there today as i start my first fight against the system that i have often vowed to shake before I die, for the future!

Thanks for reading..I hope you guys keep on reading and commenting and suggesting what you think i should do next!

FOR VICTORY

Garima Bhatt.