MM: Hawkers a terror for women commuters at Andheri station: June 11, 2010

 

Walking down the street outside Andheri Railway Station has turned into a virtual nightmare for women who face harassment from the over 300 illegal hawkers who crowd the area.

 

This despite a police combat vehicle stationed in the vicinity 24×7, and the presence of a beat chowky not far away.

 

Over the past two months, in fact, complaints of harassment have been increasing at the beat chowky, but the police can do little as most of the victims are reluctant to go the police station and file a complaint.

 

At the beat chowky, police say that they receive at least 10 complaints a day about women being harassed. Said constable Umesh Kadam, “There are complaints almost every day, but the girls are reluctant to go to the police station and file an FIR. As a result, we have to take down their complaints in our diary and report them to the police station.”

 

When Mirror visited the area, we saw a hawker selling CDs call to a girl who stepped out of the station. As she paused to take a closer look, he pulled out some porn CDs and began showing them to her.

 

Embarrassed, the girl moved away but the hawker, identified as Abdul, followed her and began pushing her in the crowd. She immediately crossed the road and sped away in an autorickshaw.

 

When we narrated this incident to the police present there, they said such things happen everyday. Two days ago, when a TV actor tried helping a girl who was being harassed by the hawkers, he was beaten up. He approached the cops for help, but by then the goons managed to escape.

 

 

Regular commuter Sunita Vaid, 24, faced a similar problem on Monday. She said, “Two people who were sitting at a corner of the station started following me and passing lewd comments.

 

I walked faster, but they came closer and started pushing me deliberately. I somehow managed to get away from there. At times there is a cop there, but often there’s no one to turn to for help. It’s time action is taken against these hawkers.”

 

Another commuter Jatin Mehta, 28, said, “Last month I came to Andheri with a girlfriend. I stopped at a cigarette stall while my girlfriend went to get an autorickshaw.

 

Three people whom I had seen selling watches at a stall followed her and began trying to touch her. I went to her rescue but one of the men slapped me and pushed me down.

 

What’s the use of having a combat vehicle around when the cops cannot tackle such small issues?” A 25-year-old woman who did not wish to be named was groped just outside the station on Thursday.

 

She said, “It has become a regular practice for these hawkers to tease girls. No one feels safe here. What is the BMC doing about these people?”

 

 

Senior Inspector M D Ahwad of D N Nagar Police Station said, “We have our men deployed there as it is considered to be a very sensitive area.

 

But it’s the BMC’s responsibility to remove these hawkers. We cannot do much about it as hardly any girl comes to the police station to file a complaint.

 

All the complaints we get is written down by our constables in their diaries. Till 12 o’clock no hawker opens his stall as BMC staff are present there. But once they go away, the illegal hawkers start functioning.”

 

 

Deputy Municipal Commissioner (Special) Rajendra Bhosle, said, “I am totally unaware of the situation, but I will discuss the matter with my Mumbai Squad and encroachment officers. I will also personally visit the place to see what’s going on. Stringent action will be taken against all those who break the rules.”

 

* Police say that they receive at least 10 complaints a day about women being harassed outside Andheri station

 

* On May 20, Mirror reported how Khar residents got 4 CCTVs installed in the area to ensure women no longer face harassment

 

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