I know that horrible things happen in every town and city around the world, but this news story really made me gasp when I read it. What kind of people take their rage out on innocent people who weren't even involved in the original incident, and take it to the extent that these did? Assault is one thing, but stripping a woman and setting her car on fire is just a depraved kind of mentality.
I also read about the incident in the newspaper. It's really shameful and the worst part is that this happened not in a village or remote area but in a progressive city like Bangalore.
I agree that there is crime everywhere and not just India, but as a traveler I'd like to feel that it is relatively safe to travel to India. This would definitely make me avoid that area of India and is definitely not good news for their tourism industry. Who would want to visit a city that cannot control their mobs or whose people who take justice in their own hands. It also makes me wonder how safe it is to travel in India as a woman?
As a nervous person in general, this kind of thing does shake my confidence in travelling. I know there was a very specific set of circumstances that led up to this incident, and I know that the media do often sensationalise stories for their own benefit, but when the article described the area as India's 'Silicon Valley', I assumed it would be more modern and progressive than the kind of place vigilante mobs would exist.
I have visited India many times. I may be biased or perhaps generalizing, however, majority of people in India have biased attitude against women. They never find faults in men but it is women always who make mistakes. There is also increasing tendency of inflicting physical torture on women.
Yes that was an extremely disturbing and horrifying incident even by Indian standards. It was a clear example of racism and how Indians can be very racist when they are not being the target of it. On top of that the Home Minister trivialised the incident which showed how the government doesn't take these kind of incidents seriously. If I were a Tanzanian or from any other Africa nation I would stay away from Bangalore.
It is one reason why people should always be cautious, even if the risks are low. Many problems could be avoided if we had respect for the possibility of danger. It is nice to live free and without fear, but one day it will have a cost. Always being on guard has a cost, too, but I would rather miss out on a nice experience than be beaten or, worse, lose my life.
Unfortunately, collateral is not uncommon in Indian protests. If you've ever seen Slumdog Millionaire, that early scene with the purge of the protagonist's slum isn't entirely inaccurate. It appears this was inspired by anti-Immigrant sentiment, which spread from the drunk student to these unfortunate passers by.
What your saying I agree with but you need to do that in every country, including your own and not just in India. When these stories in places such as Bangalore hit the headlines, it portrays a dark side to the city. It's a dark side that all cities have though, and just because a story like this is in the paper, doesn't necessarily make it an every day occurrence.
