KOCHI: Girls, do you have an admirer who is very persistent in his affections even if you have made your disinterest known? Then it is time you approach the authorities instead of being forced to look over your shoulder every time you venture out. Stalkers and spurned lovers should be stopped in their tracks. Two recent incidents highlight the need to do something.
On Monday, 28-year-old Shyam hacked Chithira, with a blade, in broad daylight near Kaloor, after she turned down his marriage proposal. According to police officers, the girl had a narrow escape since the blade missed her spinal cord by an inch.
The hospital authorities said that the victim’s wound was 15 cm deep and 5 cm long. “Chithira’s condition is stable,” said one of the doctors. Police praised the passersby for their quick thinking and response. “She could be saved because they rushed her to a nearby private hospital where she underwent an emergency surgery,” said the cops.
Ernakulam Assistant Commissioner of Police K Lalji said, “We have recovered the weapon from the accused. The investigation is over since the accused has confessed. He said he wanted to take revenge.”
In another incident, which happened in February, at Udayamperoor, a jilted lover, Amal attacked 20-year-old Ambily with a machete, when she was on her way home. Following the attack, Amal surrendered before the police. Here, too, the victim was saved by the timely intervention of the locals. They rushed her to a nearby hospital, from where her relatives took her to another private hospital, where she underwent microvascular surgery.
“The two were having an affair,” said the police. “But recently Ambily broke up with the accused. However, he didn’t take kindly to the breakup and began stalking her.”
Perturbed by his relentless stalking, Ambily lodged a complaint against Amal with the Udayamperoor police. “The cops took him into custody in November last year and let him off with a warning,” said one of the relatives. It is alarming to note that both the incidents took place in daylight. However, the police said that these are isolated incidents.
“It does not mean that women are not safe in the city,” said one of them.
But the figures tell a different tale. This year, the police have registered 186 cases for crimes against women. And the people are disturbed. “We are sick and tired of being targeted by eve-teasers,” said a student at St Teresa’s college.
Background of the perpetrators
According to Dr C J John, psychiatrist, those who do not have emotional maturity are the vengeful ones. “They are unable to come to terms with break-ups,” he said. “So, they try to wreak vengeance on their ex-lovers. They have to be taught that a lover is not an indispensable person. They should find other way to fill their emotional vacuum.”