gruesome murder attempt in public place ~ angry mobs prevent !! not here in Chennai !!!

Very sad tale … a young techie, pious, working girl is murdered in broad day-light or at a time when Sun has just arisen at an important railway station frequented by hundreds of people.  The family for sure undergoing unbearable melancholy – the father is asked Qs even where he is about to perform funeral rites ! poignant, heart-rending, distressing – emotionally no words to describe – and one reads so many versions in the Press – more disturbing.

Every media, every person on social media had their own ideas and their own set of Qs – TN Police remained stoic – a studied silence ! – and that was also commented.  Appreciations to Tamil Nadu Police Officials for the manner in which they conducted investigations and nabbed the killer, reported to be a 22 year old engineering graduate from Meenakshipuram in Tirunelveli  .. few more days, people would forget – life would roll on, as it was – only the family of the victim would never live life the way, they had or they wanted !

What should happen when a crime takes place in broad day-light in a public place ! – what should the people do ..  Mail Online reports of a horrifying video footage showing a man trying to behead his 'wife' before he is stopped by an angry mob.

The 'husband', wearing a blue shirt, is seen at the start of the film holding a woman, presumed to be his wife, on the ground. Pinning her down he appears to be attempting to slash her neck.  Fortunately, the murder does not take place as he is surrounded by an angry mass of neighbours and bystanders who begin to attack him. One sneaks up behind and boots him in the back, before another throws a brick at his head. 

The video, which is reportedly shot in Cairo, Egypt, then shows the woman rise to her feet and make her escape. A pool of blood is then seen where she was previously lying down during the attack.  The video,  also shows the man running away as dozens of people have successfully  forced the 'husband' back against a wall. They launch missiles at the man and chase him down the street before the footage cuts out. The uploader of the video, posted to LiveLeak on Friday, reports that the incident occurred in Egypt and that the woman was 'ok'.

Now there is talk about installing CC Tvs and providing better security ! – did not the officials know what the position was or has been at Railway stations and other public stations.  In Chennai, suburban trains on  the northern route towards Ponneri; the one running towards Thiruvallur; the southern one towards Chingleput are all overcrowded all the time – and one would find huge crowds at every Railway station.  MRTS is different.

In 2009 Indian Express  decided to check it out.  At Indira Nagar, they expected  somebody to track their intrusion, confront  them. Nothing of that sort happened.  At the station it was dark, no cop, no  closed circuit TV camera (CCTV) either. Elsewhere they were installed after  the Vyasarpadi Jiva incident when an unknown person hijacked a local train — EMU — and rammed it into a stationery goods train killing seven persons.  They found that in many stations including Triplicane, there were bunch of drunkards and vagabonds squatting on the platform and the scenario was throwing fear.

The fear was not unfounded as in Apr 2014, a 28-year-old BPO employee of IT corridor stabbed to death his unrequited lady love near Perungudi MRTS station,  before stabbing himself in an attempt to commit suicide.  Police sources stated that the person was a native of Tirupur and a senior process engineer in a reputed Computer company.  In a fit of rage, he pulled out a knife and stabbed her multiple times. He then stabbed himself and collapsed. Passersby alerted the ambulance service and the duo was rushed to Government Royapettah Hospital where doctors declared the girl was  brought dead on arrival and referred the killer to the GH for further treatment.

Few months later, an unidentified man brutally attacked a 24-year-old woman, stabbing her thrice in the neck, in an elevator at Kasturba Nagar MRTS Station in Adyar at 5.45pm.  It was reported that the person  who appeared to be around 25 years old, followed the woman (name withheld on request), a typist at a college in Adyar, into one of the two elevators in the station, pulled out a knife and attempted to slash her throat. When the woman evaded the first slash of the knife, the man stabbed her thrice in the right of her neck, an investigating officer said.

Killings are brutal; very sad – lot needs to be done including moral education in changing the society; the media and cinema should not eulogise the wrong things, of heroes stalking,  lewdly commenting, following beautiful lasses… .. .. more importantly, some concrete steps for raising the safety is the immediate need of hour.  Hope future crime is averted by timely action.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar.

2^nd July 2016.