Something wicked this way comes

THE ATTACKS have not stopped. I have received at least three emails about attacks on women in Bangalore for wearing jeans / drinking / being free individuals.

One victim has blogged about the horrific incident:

And as soon as they turn around in protest, the car doors are flung open, and a stream of 4-5 rabid men run out towards these women, screaming obscenities in Hindi and Kannada against women in general, fists flailing. Some of us who came in running at the sound of the screaming brakes now stand in the middle in defense of our women, and then blows start raining down. One of the goons make a couple of calls over the cellphone, and in seconds a stream of other equally rabid goondas land up. They gun straight for the women, and everyone – a few well-meaning bystanders, acquaintances who know us from the restaurant, basically everyone who tries to help the women – starts getting thoroughly beaten up.

Women are kicked in the groin, punched in the stomach, slapped across the face, grabbed everywhere, abused constantly. Men are smashed up professionally, blows aimed at livers, groins, kidneys and nose. A friend is hit repeatedly on the head by a stone until he passes out in a flood of blood.

The Hindu carried a story about three attacks:

The second incident took place on Tuesday at 10 a.m., when a 28-year-old woman on her way to Kormangala was accosted by four men near RBANM’s College in Ulsoor. “Four men got off an SUV and started screaming at me. They tugged at my clothes in front of at least eight mute spectators. One of them even pulled my shrug off, scratched my neck and hit my ear,” she told The Hindu on condition of anonymity. She said that the four were all aged between 25 and 35. “When I said I would call the police, one of them offered me his mobile phone and told me to go right ahead. They saw an airline tag on my bag, got more aggravated and called me an outsider,” she said. “One of them said I must be part of the pink chaddi campaign.” Fortunately, an army van passed by and two soldiers ordered the men to stop harassing the woman.

Different groups are planning protest marches for March 7 and 8. More details here as soon as I have them. And I’ll leave you with what Nisha Susan at the Pink Chaddi Campaign says:

For every one of you who sat about bemoaning the lack of ‘real’ action over the last month because ‘chaddis are not enough’, please come to Bangalore and join the action. The rest of you lovely people for whom sending chaddis was only one way of protesting, jump in. This promises to be fun because no one, least of the government, is expecting People Like Us to care at all. Shouldn’t we give them a pleasant post-Valentine surprise?