Woman thrashes assaulter at Kurla station, hauls him to cops

Archana Gujare was about to board a train from Kurla when a man hit her on the back. She not only slapped the man but hauled him to the Kurla RPF and demanded action against him

Man being beaten up by other commuters

Archana Gujare is making an example — of her nasty experience and the man responsible for it. The 32-year-old resident of Sanpada, Navi Mumbai, was about to board a train from Kurla to get home last night when a man hit her on the back. Commuters caught him and asked her to slap the man to settle the score. But Gujare would have none of the cathartic ‘histrionics’; she sought a logical end. She hauled her assaulter to the Kurla RPF and demanded action against him.

The woman who was groped

Gujare was on platform 7 at Kurla station at 9.15 pm yesterday when a Panvel-bound train pulled up. Just as she was getting on, she felt a sharp slap on the back. She swung around and spotted a man fleeing. He crossed over to platform 8 and tried to get away, but by the time, Gujare raised an alarm. Commuters caught him and began thrashing him. They took him to Gujare and asked her to slap him hard.

Instead, Gujare served him an unforgettable lesson. She thundered at him: "I am not going to just slap you and let you go. I will take you to the police station and make sure that you will be punished."

She took him to the Kurla RPF, where a complaint was registered against the assaulter, Vinit Ghavari (27), a resident of Mankhurd.

Gurjare told mid-day that after being hit, she initially thought that someone had tried to snatch her bag. She then suspected that the man had tried to grope her. "I don’t want such monsters to get away with a mild reprimand or slaps."

Gujare explained that her aim behind getting him punished as per the law was to egg other women on to do the same, and not write off their nasty experiences in public or private spaces. "Today, it’s me; tomorrow, it could be someone else. I want every woman to be able to summon the strength to take on her assaulter."

The molester

Vinit Ghavari claimed innocence, adding that he got scared and started running when he heard Gujare raise an alarm. "I am innocent. I didn’t do any thing wrong. The platform was crowded. I just waved my hand while getting onto the train. I may have accidentally touched her."

Suresh Atri, senior inspector, Kurla RPF, said a case has been filed under sections 153 (putting passengers’ life in danger), 145 (nuisance), 162 (entering carriage or other place reserved for women), 147 (trespass and refusal to desist from trespass) of the Railway Act, Ghavari arrested. "We are checking if he has any criminal antecedent."

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