My opinion might not go well with some feminists and chivalrous groups but before you form a negative opinion about me, I want to clarify that I give equal respect to women as I do to men, have never passed lewd comments and have even stood for women on a many occasions.

Recently, we heard about a few incidents where men were subjected to humiliation in public even if they were clean.

We can take the example of two Haryana girls claiming molestation by three men on a Haryana Roadways bus. The three men were booked, their families humiliated and their future destroyed. The media christened the two sisters as “Bravehearts” and praised them for taking action against eve-teasing.

In a similar incident, few days ago, a girl cried molestation and humiliation by a Sikh guy on a busy traffic signal in Tilak Nagar of West Delhi. The girl claimed he even posed for the picture when she warned him that it was for filing a police complaint. However, she had no proof for the incident she reported (audio or video or any onlookers); she just had a photograph of the guy on his Royal Enfield on a busy traffic signal.

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What turned out later was that the girl was in need of sudden publicity and political mileage which would be better for her career ahead. She was affiliated to a political party and others claimed she would contest DUSU Elections later in September and also it was aimed at giving an edge to the political party against the police. It was later claimed by the girl that she studied in St. Stephen’s College so she couldn’t contest DUSU elections as it was not affiliated to DU.

In the first case, however, an ‘eyewitness’ – an old lady, later came out in the open and said nothing of that sort happened. She claimed that the fight between the girls and the boys started over a seat. In a shocking development, two Rohtak sisters, failed polygraph test. According to a daily, the alleged `molesters` passed the test. However, senior superintendent of police Shashank Anand and SIT head DSP Yashpal Khatana have refused to make the report public, added the daily. [Source]

The men had undergone a lot of pain and humiliation during this period. One of them still has not been allowed to take the written examination of the armed forces. Their family’s reputation hit an all time low.

No one cared. Is it not RAPE for men?

India has changed a lot since Nirbhaya incident and the quantum of humiliation for rape victims has subdued largely (I don’t say the victims should be humiliated); but India has become a better place, at least people come out in support of the victims now.

When it comes to male harassment, no one gives a damn. Women victimise them first, they get what they want (publicity and political mileage in the two cases) and move ahead.

The men and their family are virtually raped in the society. There is no respite for them even after they get vindicated. When these men are accused of any such crime, the news channels show a lot of concern for the so called victims without proper investigations and the society literally blacklists the accused.

Once these accused are vindicated, no apology is made either by the victim or by the media for maligning the image of the acquitted accused. His self esteem detoriates significantly. Even though the accused is freed, his conduct is always under scrutiny of the society. It is difficult for him to attend ceremonies, public gatherings, and etcetera.

Our system has rehabilitation programs for rape victims. They also get financial aid by the government. They undergo counselling which is important to boost their morale and self esteem. It allows the victims to start a fresh life and leave the grey past behind.

When it comes to the men who are acquitted after the false charges, similar conditions prevails in their mind as a victim of sexual offence. But our system has very less provision for their counselling and rehabilitation. This leads to their degradation on every front. It is difficult for them to gather up their salvo and fight this discriminating world.

What I believe is that men are not always hunters, sometimes they might be hunted too… So please don’t always act as feminists and blindly support female misogyny. Look for the complete information and read both sides of the paper before forming an opinion and accusing someone. Remember, a person is innocent until he is proved guilty.

Speaking frankly, I too formed an opinion before going through the whole incident. I too accused the men in both the cases. But now I guess I’ve realised my mistake and will surely try to form an opinion cautiously next time.