By Tarushi Aswani
New Delhi: On July 28, around 3 pm, a 16-year-old Muslim girl in Varanasi’s Rajatalab came across kanwariyas crossing Varanasi who allegedly harassed, intimidated and assaulted her, including by flashing her at a shop in the locality.
According to the girl’s family, she was at her brother’s footwear store in Rani bazaar with her grandmother, and was shocked when two-three kanwariyas forced their way into the shop and began using lewd language to address her.
According to the family’s account, the men began groping the girl, she shouted and resisted, but the kanwariyas then all flashed her. The girl escaped and ran towards her house, only to allegedly be chased by the kanwariyas wielding lathis.
The men did not stop there; as per the girl’s family, one of the kanwariyas forcefully entered her house right after her. Onlookers – who saw the girl visibly traumatised – followed and pulled the kanwariya out. The trespassing kanwariya was also allegedly beaten by the onlookers who witnessed the chase.
After this, they say, a whole band of kanwariyas appeared on the scene, joined by local Hindu organisations, to defend the kanwariya accused of harassment. The entire stretch spanning over a kilometer from the market was blocked by a sea of people. During this, locals allege that kanwariyas were wielding rods and sticks, while chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’. The small Muslim population in the locality say they felt cornered.
This story was originally published in thewire.in. Read the full story here.