Mysuru’s moment of shame showed how time and again our law enforcement agencies fail to ensure the safety of women in a crowd. While many women who had gathered to take part in a Dasara event last Saturday had to put up with groping and lewd behaviour by unruly men, it now emerges that the city’s police force had deployed only 250 personnel to manage a crowd of more than a lakh. Women had to share their shocking tales of harassment on social networking sites and the media had to prod the police to wake them up to the scale of the crime and launch a probe.
It’s difficult to understand how the police could have bungled things so badly. The events of the famous Mysuru Dasara festival attract large crowds, comprising both locals and tourists, and there will be perverts looking to exploit the situation, hiding behind the anonymity that a crowd provides. The fact that the Open Street Festival, the event during which the mass molestation took place, was held on a narrow street also contributed to the ugly episode. Not only did the police not deploy an adequate number of personnel, they failed to keep a close eye on the crowd despite having the benefit of a functional monitoring system which comprised CCTV cameras and drones.
This is not just about Mysuru Dasara or one particular incident. This is a story that repeats itself again and again, be it religious festivals, community gatherings or public celebrations. Harassment of women in crowded places is rampant and brazen and often goes unpunished. The police in Mysuru took up the investigation only after being prodded by minister G T Devegowda and the media. But even days after the episode, not one miscreant has been apprehended. With Dasara festivities continuing till October 19, it’s a matter of concern that the perpetrators are still roaming around, possibly looking for more such opportunities. Police will do well to investigate the episode thoroughly and nab the perverts at the earliest.