Did you know that stalking is a bailable offence in Indian criminal law? This allows stalkers to get bail without serious scrutiny, often putting the victims at further risk, including acid attacks and murder. Do you think this is acceptable? We thought not.
The number of stalking incidents are on the rise in India. According to National Crime bureau data, over 80 percent of the people accused of stalking are given bail before the chargesheet is filed.
In many cases when the stalkers are let out on bail, the harassment continues and gets worse. There have been instances of acid attacks, rapes, and even murders.
Just two months ago, a 17-year-old girl was allegedly murdered by four boys from her village in Uttar Pradesh. The boys had been stalking and harassing her for more than six months.
A 21-year-old woman was burnt alive at her home in Chennai by her former classmate after she reportedly rejected his proposal of marriage.
If stalking is so common in our country then it should not be a bailable offence.
To break the silence around stalking, Quint NEON started a campaign called #TalkingStalking encouraging men and women to talk about instances of being stalked. After receiving an overwhelming response, we decided to expand our campaign towards figuring out a solution for stalking and giving victims some sort of protection.
Thus, The Quint has collaborated with senior advocate Kamini Jaiswal and MP Dr Shashi Tharoor to propose an amendment to the law which would make stalking a non-bailable offence, which has been submitted as a private member’s bill to Parliament.
We have also partnered with Varnika Kundu to spearhead the petition for us.
If you believe in the cause, sign our petition.
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