The molestation of a girl in full public view and in front of television cameras has raised serious question over the moral policing being carried out by local news channels in Assam.
Though the police was under pressure to arrest those 12 persons identified and held responsible for the incident, there have been demand to probe the “circumstances and situation” in which the video, which went viral, was recorded. Some eyewitnesses among those present in the bar had different version of story. Pleading anonymity, some of them said that person who was recording the video knew those molesters who forced the helpless girl to pose for camera. The girl was molested and video was shot before the crowd started swelling.
The incident, which took place at about 9.30 pm, started with four girls and two boys, apparently known to each other, entering a bar on Monday night, where they subsequently had a brawl compelling the bar staffs to evict them.
The eyewitness accounts of those present in the bar claimed that eviction of six from the bar failed to end the brawl, which continued on the street.
Some youths who were keeping a close watch over the drama of these youths were having drinks in an Indica car, which was parked in front of the bar on GS Road. The youths tried to pull one of the girls in their car but failed.
The girl tried to resist the youths who pounced upon her accusing them of creating scene on the street.
In between, one of them who was associated with a local television channel, called up television media houses instead of the police.
The girl, who was molested, got into an argument with the youths, but her five friends deserted her fearing backlashes as crowd had also started swelling.
Finding the situation getting worst, the bar authorities called up police, which reached the spot but youths provoked the swelling crowd, which had gathered in between, to resist police from taking away the girl without women police constable.