Stalking is a serious crime
Popular culture must not glorify the harassment of women
Stalking is not an innocent past time; it is a dangerous form of sexual harassment. This was made clear yet again when a stalker burnt to death an engineer in Chennai after pursuing her against her wishes for nearly a month. While strong anti-stalking laws in the Indian Penal Code make following, making contact with, trying to foster an interaction or monitoring the movements of a woman a punishable offence, these have not helped women as much as they should have. Unfortunately, a first-time stalking offence is bailable; subsequent offences are deemed nonbailable. Though there has been a 50% rise in stalking over the last three years, the conviction rate is very low. But the truth is that stalking contains within it the seeds of a bigger and more violent crime which can take the form of acid attacks or murder.
Some blame for this must go to mainstream cinema, especially from the south. In these movies, stalking is seen as part of the process of courtship. The notion is that the woman, after initially rebuffing the man, will yield in the end. Many men do not think that forcing their unwanted attentions on a woman is wrong. The police, too, must share the blame. Popular culture and social mores have conditioned them in such a manner that they do not take seriously allegations of stalking. The stalker is emboldened by this and rejection tends to result in violent responses . Targets are picked for their vulnerability and on the assumption that the woman in question is unlikely to come forward and report. According to the law, a single incident of stalking can result in the offender being charged under section 354D of the IPC. But this has not proved to be deterrent enough.
In the first six months of 2017, 259 cases of stalking were registered in Delhi. Stalking is traumatic to the victim even if she is not physically harmed. It often prevents women going to college or work. The police must speed up filing charges and the offence must be made non-bailable in the first instance. Once out after a first transgression, stalkers intensify harassment. And popular culture must stop portraying a crime against women as being nothing more than a harmless rite of romance.