OPINION: Eve teasers need stringent punishment

Today witnessing the incident where an serving Assistant Sub Inspector of police has been shot dead by an eve-teaser in Amritsar happens to be a matter of deep concern and has rather shaken the conscience of the our State. Where are we heading for? Instant and most stringent punishment is the only substitute for the unscrupulous elements who have committed this ruthless act.  Its the need of hour to have a check towards the ongoing Eve teasing incidents, as these days Eve-teasing has become an major harassment, above all eve teasing has virtually been adopted as a hobby by certain unscrupulous elements, becoming a major hindrance for young girls and women within the city to move on their own in the evenings or at night. A strong attitude of administration towards “eve-teasing” is required as to create fear in the minds of such unscrupulous elements, as witnessed at times the offenders are frequently dismissed as harmless having  no  fear of  any punishment, but which in turn make many public spaces remain threatening for women.
It is high time to constitute a strong police team to check the increasing cases of molestation and eve-teasing particularly outside educational institutions, girls hostels, shopping malls and side by the law authorities need to amend eve teasing as a stringent punishment. With the presence of police cops deployed outside schools, colleges and public places which are often frequented by women is not only the solution, rather they need to punish the eve teasers on the spot, as recently we have witnessed few cases related to harassment of female students and other working women in broad day-light by hoodlums and other anti-social elements in public places like cinema halls and markets. Besides police protection the aggressive stance of women can also ward off the eve teasers. Stringent and instant punishment should be given to the eve-teasers as it is taking form of a social evil in society these days particularly. Its most unfortunate to that a serving police officer in uniform has been shot dead recently in Amritsar while protecting his own daughter at the hands of a eve-teaser, hence the concerned authorities  should enact and implement more stringent laws, so that offenders should think twice before committing such offence related to eve-teasing.  Even the society needs to boycott such unscrupulous elements who indulge in such heinous crime. The society should also boycott such offenders and their families as this is the least which can be done for the victims family to come out of trauma.
Today it’s the need of hour for the State authorities to enact the most stringent punishment to the culprits involved in this heinous and inhuman crime, irrespective of the position and status. Rather our Law making agencies need to enact most stringent punishment to such culprits involved in this case, where the culprit has committed a murder of a person who tried to protect his daughter, enabling to create fear in the minds of other such unscrupulous elements within the society, as they should think twice before indulging in eve-teasing. 

 *The author is an Advocate and Former Additional Advocate General Punjab.

(Disclaimer: The views expressed by the author in this article are his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of City Air News.)