DELHI: I might have passed this over as a routine risk that women in Delhi live with. But now I think the story should be told, especially after Nirbhaya’s friend has revealed that none of the 50-odd auto-rickshaws at the Saket malls agreed to take Nirbhaya and him to their destination. If one of them had, they wouldn’t have taken that deadly bus and Nirbhaya might have been alive.

My story is just two days old. On Thursday at around 6 pm, I was waiting for an auto-rickshaw at Badli Mor near Rohini with my sisters. After about ten minutes, one auto-rickshaw stopped. We wanted to go to Model Town. But the driver didn’t want to go there. But as it was getting dark and we were anxious to reach home, we told him, “You can’t say ‘no’. We can file a complaint against you.”

The driver changed tack. He demanded a large amount for the trip. We told him to go by the meter and charge 50% more. He simply refused. Once again we warned him – that we would complain to the police about his behaviour and his arbitrary demands.

Suddenly the driver whipped out his cellphone, turned around, and clicked our picture. His gruff voice turned menacing: “Tu complaint to kar, mai batata hun (You just try filing a complaint, I’ll show you what I can do.)” An argument followed and I called the police control room at 100.

I informed 100 that the driver of the auto-rickshaw with the registration number ‘DL 1RM 9979’ had abused us, and on protesting, had taken our pictures and threatened us with dire consequences. The voice at the other end gave me another number – 27854799 – and said that the area I was in came under the jurisdiction of the police who would attend to my call.

I tried calling up this number several times but the line kept on beeping. I tried the women’s helpline, 181, but it went on ringing. We had, in the meantime, flagged down another auto-rickshaw. He agreed to take us to Model Town. The earlier driver, now visibly angry, rushed towards us. His threat was chilling: “Agar meri complain kari to main tere ko kahin ka nahin chhodunga (If you complain against me , you won’t be in a position to face anyone after that.)”

I stay with my sisters away from my family. And the threat really shook me to the core. We were going home, but decided to head towards a friend’s place in Kamla Nagar, scared that the threatening driver might follow us home.

When I called 100 once again, a lady told me that the police coming under the Badli Mor jurisdiction could take any action in this case. I waited and some time called again to verify the auto-rickshaw’s registration number to the control room.

After 30 minutes, I got a call from a PCR van . The policeman asked me, “Madamji, could you please tell me in which direction the auto-wallah went?” “How will I know,” I said. “We left Badli Mor 30 minutes ago.” I told him that my complaint should be registered, but the policeman said only after the driver is challaned, would I be able file an FIR against him.

Finally at 8.30 pm I got a call from a traffic police officer in Rohini. He told me: “The number I have complained against is not registered. But we still will try to trace him.”

Great! The driver of a public transport vehicle threatening me with the worst kind of violence, was traceless. This was the last call I received from the police. When I tried calling the traffic officer back on the number I had received the previous call from, it went on ringing.

I made another call to 181. This is the response I got: “Go to the Delhi Police website, to the transport section, and first file a complaint there.” The person who answered the call didn’t bother to ask me any further details, let alone ask for the registration number of the auto-rickshaw.

I know I live in a very unsafe city.