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Friday, January 18, 2008

More number plates

Two men - probably in their twenties - in a car.
Number DL9 CP 1579.

On the night of January 9th, Wednesday, about 9.30 pm, this car slows down as these two men see a woman sitting in a blue cycle rickshaw. They follow, from Defence Colony market towards the Lajpat Nagar railway gate. They lean out of the window. The man driving asks the rickshaw-puller, 'Kyon, kya scene hai?'

Awkward, the rickshaw-puller turns to look at his passenger. This is me, sitting stony-faced, and he guages the situation for what it is. He keeps pulling, casting sidelong, frightened glances at the car. I mull over the possibility of fighting back. There is plenty of traffic about and I am not alone. But this is a cycle-rickshaw and a car makes it vulnerable.

One man, middle-aged, in a car.
Number UP 16 Q 1298.

On the night of January 9th, Wednesday, about 9.30 pm, this car slows down a the man sees a woman sitting in a blue cycle rickhaw. He begins to follow, on the road leading to the Lajpat Nagar railway gate, and he peers out of his window, repeating 'come' and 'do you want to come?'

The rickshaw-puller kept turning to look at me. I sat, stony-faced, crossed every finger I had, and held my peace. Ordinarily, in this much traffic, when the going is slower than it would be if one walked, I would just get down and walk about hundred meters and would be home. This night, I didn't. Instead, I requested the rickshaw-puller to stay with me, stuck in this mini-jam for a good fifteen minutes. He agreed wordlessly, head bent, and dropped me to my very doorstep. Out of sheer gratitude and relief, I paid him twice the fare we'd decided on.

I had no camera or I'd have taken pictures and put them up in the '(UN)WANTED' section. I did have a phone though, and eyes and a quick thumb. Here are the car numbers.

This is my personal FIR. World, are you taking down my complaint?

9 comments:

  1. Anonymous7:49 PM

    Invest in a camera phone..that may act as a deterrent? Or atleast, point the cellphone at them as if taking a photo?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Annie- thanks a lot :)
    I'd love to do a guest post- and join the egroup. Thanks again for the honor :)

    Am actually so interested in this that am doing this for my PhD- gender and urban space in India. I'm only looking at shopping malls (as I'll never get a PhD done if I look at ALL urban spaces)- since these are new and interesting (and have modern/western associations -I hate those snobs who act as if going to the mall makes them modern- but you know that is how it is). So am exploring malls, modernity and how women use malls - which, owing to exclusion, tend to become safer places for women..the new inside????
    (something I want to explore).
    Anyway- you get the idea.

    Thanks again, Rachna

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous5:24 PM

    Certainly a new way to get oneself heard. May be with photographic evidence, the cops wont hesistate as they do this time to record a complaint.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous7:53 PM

    I appreciate you hundred times for posting those shameless peoples car reg nos. And I would like to request you to post that kind of people's photo if anyone comes to misbehave like this in the future...
    Breakdown Insurance

    ReplyDelete
  5. So did the cops register a complaint?
    Or should we figure out where these guys live & burn their cars?
    In addition to beating them up, that is?

    ReplyDelete
  6. There is a New York blog where women post pictures/ license plate numbers etc of their stalkers- it kind of seems to work- I think... For all it is worth, I will try to find it out for you.
    I wish there was something more concrete I could do.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous11:36 AM

    one suggestion to keep track of these vehicle numbers.

    1) create a wiki for the blanknoise project
    2) create a section called number plates.
    3) add these numbers to the page and create links.
    4) add date wise entries for the events that happened with this numbered vehicle.

    I think this may not be just a one off incident from these people.

    If other "victims" in delhi also are made aware and talk about their experience on the wiki, soon we would have a time wise chronicle of events from that numbered vehicle.

    Unfortunately it is not easy to do that for individuals.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hello ma'am..
    Hailing from Delhi, your post comes as no surprise to me. Hats off to you for coming forward and posting this one. I hope all the girls/women follow suit.

    I wandered onto your blog from the link that was given at the MMSC website. So, as you're coming here to Manipal, I'd love to hear from you.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Quite agree with what Alankrita says above....it would be neat, pull out a phone and go "oh, and while you're leching at me, could also you say 'cheese'...aap camera par hain" :)

    Also, never made the connection between you and this blog (despite that it's named) when we met the other night....

    ReplyDelete