He was looking for a parking slot and let out a “Bhen***”. Within minutes, Daksh Bhardwaj found himself outnumbered, overpowered, stereotyped as a “Dilli wala” and pummeled from every side.
Don’t Keep Calm and Carry On
The 26-year-old who works in the film industry in Mumbai has filed a police complaint, but says he does not want to actively find out what comes out of the investigation. What happened to Daksh can happen to anyone, anywhere, without warning. “But it’s this outlook towards violence,” says Daksh, that needs to stop. “We need stop accepting violence as common place. We need to end this aage badhi, ye toh chalta hai attitude”, he says.
Jhanjhat is Good
“The police was helpful, but a lot of people tried to dissuade me from filing a complaint, because of the jhanjjhat, he says.
“But I felt the need to report it to the police, because if something like happens to me again then I have no right to compIain, because I did not appeal to the system.”
No Good Samaritans Here
“I’ve read about incidents where people just stood by and refused to help,” says Daksh, “but it’s a different feeling when it happens to you.”
“When I came home that night, what played in my mind, was not the beating as much as people who just stood and watched. The most appalling thing is to beg for help from people you know. I was reaching out to a known faces, how are some people wired, can someone tell me?”
Not About Delhi vs Bombay Either
“Tu dilli ka hai na and then 5 more punches”, is how Daksh recalls a particular moment in the 10 minute ordeal. “It could’ve happened anywhere to anyone and making it about Delhi vs Bombay undermines the point that this was senseless violence”, he says.
Daksh has a fractured jaw, a damaged ear and a swollen sinus, but is determined not to swear any less than he used to.
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