Changing pub culture poses a threat to women’s safety

The gangrape of a minor girl at Jubilee Hills by five men including three juveniles has come as a rude shock to civil society, which is now making a hue and cry about the growing pub culture among the underage boys and girls.

This is the first case reported in the state in which a teenage girl was gangraped in broad daylight in a moving car in the city’s upmarket area. Worst, the video footage of the violence went viral on social media revealing the victim’s identity.

The drastic increase in pub culture was hardly being monitored by investigating agencies and might lead to rise in crime against women, said Sonia Nihal, a regular pub-goer.

“I often go to pubs. During the past six years, the pub culture has totally changed. In most of the pubs, women who are highly intoxicated are unsafe and can easily fall prey once they are out on roads,” Sonia said.

“In 2018, my cousin was in an intoxicated condition. She was molested by an auto driver, but she managed to jump out and got help from passersby,” Aleena Joseph, another pub-goer said.

“In my 34 years of criminal law practice, this is the first time I came to learn about such heinous act of brutality where a minor was raped in a moving car. The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act court, which is a fast track court, do not tolerate such cases and will handle it with priority,” said K. Ravi Kishore, a leading practicing criminal lawyer in the city.

The case had a strong chance of conviction as the prosecution got technical evidence, semen samples and fingerprints from the seats of the car in which the act was performed, teeth injuries on the victim’s body. The accused were arrested within seven days of the offence, Ravi Kishore said.