Eve-teasing picks up in city,

Bikers’ go Road Romeos

Eve-teasing picks up in city, authorities’ unmoved

Irfan Quraishi

Srinagar, Nov 28: The menace of eve-teasing eating the very vitals of conservative Kashmir society is picking up in few areas of Srinagar city and especially the college and school going girls are falling prey to road romeos.

Ironically the law guarding agency police is feeling helpless to put a check on the menace. The women especially the school going girls are feeling largely insecure on Srinagar streets and roads to a group of bikers making mischievous acts.

It may be recalled here that Romana hit and run murder case was also result of eve-teasing act by three youth, who recklessly crushed the girl to death on Hyderpora road. The gruesome incident had evoked violent protests before police managed to nab the culprits.

A scene was created at Rajbagh today, when three youth riding on a bike at a lightning fast speed nudged a girl on busy Rajbagh-Jawahar Nagar road. The girl fell down on the road as bikers fled from the spot.

Shopkeepers and passer-byes’ helped the girl re-gain the consciousness. Incidentally this correspondent was also present on the spot. “The bikers often trio makes mischievous acts like this on school going girls. They ride on bikes at a lightning fast speed, blow horn repeatedly, nudge girls and flee from the scene. During past ten days, it is the third incident of its kind, when a girl has been pushed down on the ground,” said a shopkeeper.

The trio (riding on bike) after few minutes lost control on the bike and struck two girls near Rambagh bridge. When asked about the number plate on the bike, a teen aged boy riding the bike fled from the spot. His colleague heckled, “He provided me the lift at examination centre. I do not know whether he nudged any girl in Rajbagh area,” he said pleading that he was not involved in any mischievous act.

Locals and shopkeepers said that youth wait outside the schools in Rajbagh and Jawahar Nagar area and follow girls as soon as they leave schools. They pass indecent comments on girls and often nudge them while riding fast on the bikes.

Parents expressed serious concerns over the safety of their daughters. “This is very unfortunate that youngsters are increasingly becoming vulgar and do such misdeeds. Girls are finding it very difficult to commute freely. My daughter who attends college talks about the mischievous acts often. Authorities should take practical steps for the safety of girls”, said Mohammad Akbar Khan, adding that if authorities maintained criminal silence it would be difficult for women to move out of their homes for work and studies.

Reports said that a group of bikers were also doing mischievous acts in few other areas of the city. The eve-teasing acts have rendered immense insecurity to the girls. Ironically police is expressing its helplessness to deal with the menace stating that youth involved in the act often belong to high profile families

“Youth involved in such acts belong to high profile families. We do take action against the youth involved in the eve-teasing acts but they get bailed out due to political intervention,” said SHO Raj Bagh police station adding that it was the moral duty of the people to come forward and help police to deal with the menace.

Unemployment guaranteed

Growing unemployment draws youth towards belt forces’

Irfan Quraishi

Srinagar, Nov 29: Growing unemployment has been a serious challenge for the successive governments in the state over past years. Jobless youth in the state leave no stone unturned in applying for the jobs.

In early 1990’s the youth would hesitate to join the belt force- Army and police but over past few years youth in large numbers are applying for jobs in belt force. In recent past, hundreds of youth from different parts of the valley went through physical tests at airport road Humhama Srinagar to join the border security force (BSF).

Hundreds of youth have joined Army, BSF and police in the past years. Besides trying hard for jobs in government departments, youth are showing overwhelming interest in belt force. Hundreds of youth queued up for trying their luck in BSF at Humhama and these included the graduate students’ also.

The response to the rallies has been unprecedented from the youth of the valley despite current unrest. Hundreds of youth were witnessed standing in long queue at Humhama airport road.

“Hundreds of youth turned out to test their luck for jobs during the current phase of recruitment and the response for the recruitment in defence has been overwhelming. Even the wave of unrest has not affected the response of youth”, said an army official, adding “We are looking for the well built youth especially from these far off and remote areas, which are badly hit due to the militancy. That is why we chose district wise venue for the recruitment rally”.

In the past too, there has been great enthusiasm seen amongst the youth in Indian army and educated jobless candidates from remotest areas from different parts of valley have come forward to join the force.

“Earlier youth used to travel to Srinagar or Jammu to take part in the recruitment rallies but now army has decided to reach to their door steps to persuade them join belt force and for that Army especially held recruitments in different parts of valley,” said an Army official.

Talking to this reporter youth said that ever-growing unemployment scenario has forced youth to join belt force. Belt force has become one of the largely sought after jobs in the valley.

“My parents are eager to see me as a soldier to serve the nation and I want to travel and see the entire India and like to live an adventurous life, it is the army which has all these facilities. Also army offers good salary,” said Zubair Ahmad a candidate who had come all the way from Qazigund to take part in the recruitment rally.

To avoid any ambiguity and keep the high level of transparency in the documentation process of the recruitment drive BSF authorities used the technique of biometric scanning.

“It was first used in a recruitment rally at Jammu on trial basis and now from here we have used this technique on full time basis. The technique involves relating of thumb impressions and photographs with each other. It easily recognizes the thumb impression of the person and relates it to the photograph,” an army officer told The Newspoint.

It can be also viewed that obviously the inclusion of youth in army or other defence agencies would demoralize the militants and attract the more youth towards army.

Many youth said, “We have left with no option other than to join BSF, CRPF, and Army or police because Kashmir is badly hit by unemployment. No other department is advertising any vacancies’. I am post graduate in Science but after waiting for years to get the job, I finally sacrificed and decided to apply in BSF”, said Reyaz Ahmed of Srinagar.