It started off as a humdrum ride on a local train from Churchgate to Andheri, where my attention was fixed hard on a book. Rush hour hasn't started yet but many office-goers clad in white formal shirts were heading home. When the train stopped at Dadar, among the usual crowd that jumped in, there was a "middle-class looking" couple.
The girl, who looked like she was in her mid-20s, was about to sit, when the man yanked her back and made her stand next to him. A petty quarrel among young lovers, or so I thought. The man, who looked like a Latin American, was built like a truck and his muscles were bulging out. As the train moved on from Dadar, the arguing got louder and the man was increasingly looking violent. All the middle class office-goers pretended to not notice what was going on.
As the man's actions started getting more aggressive, I intervened and said, "excuse me, I think you're making the lady uncomfortable." The guy asked me to "f*** off" and mind my own business. By that time, other people came up to the man and told him to cool off. "She's my fiancee," he said. I responded that he still had no right to physically threaten or abuse her. I had the backing of at least 10 people on the wagon and one person threatened to call a railway police officer. The man got off at Mahim in anger, alone.
The girl stayed on till Vile-Parle, thanking me for standing up for her. I hope that she has the sense to get out of an abusive relationship, but that's her life...
For those of you that think domestic violence exists only in the lower classes of society, think again! Please take a stand against such people. Under no circumstances should violence against women be tolerated in a society that considers itself civilized!
The girl, who looked like she was in her mid-20s, was about to sit, when the man yanked her back and made her stand next to him. A petty quarrel among young lovers, or so I thought. The man, who looked like a Latin American, was built like a truck and his muscles were bulging out. As the train moved on from Dadar, the arguing got louder and the man was increasingly looking violent. All the middle class office-goers pretended to not notice what was going on.
As the man's actions started getting more aggressive, I intervened and said, "excuse me, I think you're making the lady uncomfortable." The guy asked me to "f*** off" and mind my own business. By that time, other people came up to the man and told him to cool off. "She's my fiancee," he said. I responded that he still had no right to physically threaten or abuse her. I had the backing of at least 10 people on the wagon and one person threatened to call a railway police officer. The man got off at Mahim in anger, alone.
The girl stayed on till Vile-Parle, thanking me for standing up for her. I hope that she has the sense to get out of an abusive relationship, but that's her life...
For those of you that think domestic violence exists only in the lower classes of society, think again! Please take a stand against such people. Under no circumstances should violence against women be tolerated in a society that considers itself civilized!
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