MSU girls arm themselves as molesters prowl at gates

Vadodara: Whenever she walks towards M S University to attend her classes, she ensures to keep a pocket knife in her purse. Lest some stalker tries to molest her in the middle of the road! Surprising as it may seem but many female students at MSU have started arming themselves to defend their modesty. This when they have to walk barely a kilometre to the university or their accommodation.
The incidents of sexual harassment faced by many girls right outside the MSU campus have compelled them to opt for self-defence. “Whenever I walk out of my hostel to attend classes, I make sure that I don’t forget my paper cutter. It’s always there in my purse. I started keeping it after I was harassed by some unknown men on the road near Faculty of Social Work a few months ago,” said Shilpa (name changed), a 20-year-old student of Faculty of Arts.
“I was very scared and I could do nothing but walk away hurriedly. But I decided to arm myself with something that can be used to defend myself if someone tries to molest me. Many of my friends do the same,” she told TOI. Like Shilpa, many female students of MSU have started arming themselves with different objects.
While some of them carry pocket knives, some keep blades in their purse and many prefer pepper spray. In the last few weeks, many female students have complained of sexual harassment by men in Pratapgunj and Fatehgunj areas that are considered to be an upmarket localities. The SHE team recently arrested some men who had sexually harassed female students in Pratapgunj and Fatehgunj.
“I have been keeping two sharp blades with me. The walk from MSU campus to our hostel or PG accommodation is very short but the road is isolated at noon and evenings. And many eve-teasers move around on two-wheelers in Pratapgunj area just to harass female students,” said a 21-year-old student of law faculty. The students discuss different ways to protect themselves but most don’t make formal police complaints as they don’t want their parents to worry.
Radhika Bharai, ACP (SHE team), said: “Most complaints of sexual harassment are from either Sayajigunj where MSU is located or Mangal Bazaar and other such crowded places in the city. Our team acts swiftly when we get such complaints and nabs the accused men.”
She added that the squad members also move around in civil dress in public areas to identify and nab eve-teasers.