‘Women were practically hanging out of car’

KOLKATA: Two young women headed home from work in a shared cab had to jump out of the vehicle to save themselves at a deserted stretch on the southern fringes of the city late on Saturday after the driver tried to molest and abduct them.The incident highlights the plight of thousands of Kolkata’s daily commuters — especially women — who have to depend on public transport. They are especially vulnerable on certain routes — such as, in this particular case, the Tollygunge-Thakurpkur route — where they have to depend on autos. On Saturday, most autos had gone off-road owing to the death of a driver, which left commuters at the mercy of illegal shuttle cabs.The women’s screams for help had alerted local shopowners near Kabardanga , near the Thakurpukur cancer hospital, who gave chase on bikes and autos. They managed to hand over the rogue driver to police. By then, the women had jumped off. The driver was arrested after one of the women lodged a complaint at Haridevpur police station.The complainant, a 32-yearold woman who works at a shop in South City Mall on Prince Anwar Shah Road, had taken the shuttle cab, along with eight others, from the Prince Anwar Shah Road-Deshapran Sashmal Road crossing around 8.40pm. She took the cab after she waited a while for autos but found none. She sat in the front, and the others — including the other woman — at the back.“By the time we crossed Haridevpur and Keorapukur Bazaar, the driver began teasing me and making indecent gestures,” said the survivor. “I ignored it but when he tried to touch me, I and the other woman — the only other passenger — protested.”The car had, by then, crossed Haridevpur police station.The woman asked the driver to immediately stop the car, saying she would call the cops. He, however, kept abusing the two women and continued to speed. “As the car approached the Kabardanga crossing, both of us were prepared to jump out but the driver took a sharp turn and increased speed. We began screaming for help by opening the door as he began going towards Nepalgunj,” said the woman.Alerted by the women’s screams, some local residents, auto drivers and shopowners gave chase on bikes and autos. “The doors of the car were open and the two women were practically hanging out as they screamed for help,” said Ratan De, who has a garments shop at Kabardanga crossing.Onlookers also called the cops. Haridevpur PS sent a patrol vehicle.The driver slowed down near Munsidih, around 1.5km from Kabardanga, when the women jumped out. The complainant twisted her ankle and lay screaming in pain as the driver again sped off towards Nepalgunj.The locals chasing the car, however, had already alerted a group of youths a little ahead on the road. As the car reached Kalopole, around 2.5km from Kabardanga, the driver found him hemmed in. His captors handed him over to the cops, who arrested him. Kanai Das, 40, has been booked under sections 354A (sexual harassment), 363 (kidnapping), 279 (rash driving) and 338 (causing grievous hurt). His SUV has been seized.“One of the auto drivers who had chased the car rescued my wife and safely brought her home. I will be forever grateful to him. My wife is still in a state of shock. She has suffered a fracture in her left leg,” said the survivor’s husband.