Rohtak Sisters: Drama Queens??

I clearly recall collaring a brute who had deliberately brushed past me outside Eros cinema, and clobbering him. Nobody had intervened or come to my defence. I must have been seventeen years old at the time. Now comes the dramatic story of the Rohtak sisters.

I confess I fell for the uncut version myself. So impressed was I with the way Aarti (22) and Pooja (19) fixed their tormentors in a crowded bus, I promptly hailed them as modern day Jhansi Ki Raanis in a tweet!

By then, they were all over the media, along with a beaming dad, and had also made it to CNNand the BBC World. Their stand was being applauded by countless outraged women (and a few men) across platforms. Their quotes urging women to fight back and not take such public harassment lying down etc. were being extensively quoted. Not wishing to be left out of the narrative, the Rajasthan Government hastily announced a cash award for bravery (since withdrawn) to be given on Republic Day!

Soon, video number two surfaced showing the girls taking on a man in a Mumbai park and thrashing him energetically. So far, three chaps (Mohit, Luldeep, Deepak) from the bus incident have been booked. But the slightly dodgy part of the story still remains: were the beatings staged? And if so, who shot both the videos? Is it true one of the girls was overheard requesting a female co-passenger to shoot the maar-peet before the actual beating took place? Was the belt she used to flog the guy taken out of her bag or was she wearing it when the assault took place? These are important details that establish the motivations of the girls. Aarti has denied carrying the belt in her handbag, insisting it takes her 20 seconds to whip it off. As for the rest, well, we shall find out soon enough.

I recall innumerable similar situations from my own life when I didn’t think twice before accosting men who had deliberately brushed past me or passed rude/ lewd remarks. I have chased down a few near Churchgate Station (I grew up in the area) and let them have it - verbally and physically (what are large, heavy handbags for??). I am talking 40 years ago! Later, I did repeat the same drill if anybody ‘accidentally’ touched my daughters. Of course, such a public display of unbridled rage embarrassed the girls no end and they urged me to ‘let it go’. Absolutely not! No woman should ‘let it go’. That’s how we breed monsters in our society - desperadoes who dare to molest women in congested localities, because they believe they can get away with it. They generally do. And so the cycle goes on… generation after generation.

The ‘Rockstars of Rohtak’, as sections of the media have dubbed them, live in different times. They are savvy about the power of provocative videos going viral and creating instant, overnight celebrities. It’s entirely possible both the videos are indeed accurate recordings of two separate incidents that took place, involving the same two girls. It is also possible that both times there were obliging bystanders around who had the presence of mind to start recording these nasty incidents and nail the culprits. But - and it’s a vital ‘but’ - what if the two girls had in fact planned the incidents to make a point? What if it was their way of sending out a strong message to other women who have suffered in silence - and ‘let it go’? The quotes one has read and heard, sound incredibly well composed and admirably calm. The girls must indeed be very mature and confident. Plus, they have the support of their father, whose quotes are equally convincing. Provided both incidents took place as seen in the videos, without any stage management, then, of course, my scepticism /cynicism is misplaced.

This is where media responsibility kicks in. In our impatience to flash a potentially ‘hot’ story, we rush in blindly, without bothering to fact check. In the process, we get had. We get used. We get exploited. Worse, we end up with egg all over our faces. Definitely not nice!

While the basic message of these two videos is laudatory (“women should fight back and not take any form of harassment lying down”), we must stop to consider the possibility of a miscarriage of justice as well. Public opinion is so ‘tagda’, those boys could have been lynched had the co-passengers been aggressive and involved. As of now, they stand accused and their future looks pretty bleak. The Rohtak sisters are heroes, basking in the unconditional admiration they have received for standing up to bullies.

As someone who hasn’t taken anything in life lying down (or standing up, or even sitting!), I am all for the Rohtak girls showing the way. Fingers crossed they haven’t ‘ullu bano-ed’ us for instant fame.