NEW DELHI: “Even helping someone is a crime these days,” said the mother of a 26-year-old man who sustained severe head injuries after trying to stop a group of men from harassing women in south Delhi’s Mehrauli area.
Sarvesh, whose son Mukesh is undergoing treatment at the AIIMS Trauma Centre, said the family is traumatized by the brutality of the attack, which took place in the early hours of February 3. Mukesh was returning home after attending his maternal uncle’s wedding when the incident occurred.
According to the police, Mukesh, a resident of Sangam Vihar, had stopped at a tea stall around 5 am when he noticed a group of men allegedly harassing two to three women nearby. He intervened and asked them to stop eve-teasing. “I only told them not to do such things. That’s all I said,” Mukesh said.
His intervention, however, triggered a violent response. Mukesh alleged that one of the men struck him on the head with a stone-like object, knocking him unconscious. The assault continued as he lay on the ground, with the attackers slapping, kicking and punching him.
Further violence was averted when a bystander intervened. “One Muslim man saved me from further assault. I am very thankful to him. I would have lost my life if he had not stepped in,” Mukesh said. The women he tried to protect also stayed back, called the Police Control Room and ensured he was taken to hospital.
A video of the incident later surfaced online, showing four men assaulting Mukesh near a lamp post and dragging him by his shirt while abusing him.