Peeping Toms drive women out of home

Neighbour allegedly cut out a window in his house from where he passed lewd comments at woman and her teenage daughters

Peeping Toms drive women out of home

Neighbour allegedly cut out a window in his house from where he passed lewd comments at woman and her teenage daughters

Fed up with relentless obscene gestures and a barrage of lewd comments from a neighbour and alleged police inaction against the accused, a 45-year-old woman, along with her teenage daughters, has shifted out of their Malad home. Saroj Gupta has registered 14 complaints with the Malad police against neighbour Nandlal Wala for making obscene gestures and passing lewd comments at them through an illegal window opened bang opposite to the door to her chawl in the past three years. But every time the cops have registered a Non Cognisable case and "took no action against the offender".

Mereu00a0saamne waliu00a0khidki mein... Saroj Gupta at her home in Malad.
Bang opposite her window is an illegal window which was cut open by her
neighbour Nandlal Wala when she was away on a holiday.
Pic/Pradeep Dhivar

Disappointed, Gupta then approached the BMC, which issued a strict notice under the Maharashtra Regional Town Planning (MRTP) Act, but to no avail. Seeing no respite from the abusive neighbour, the Guptas shifted out of their house and started living at some rented accommodation.

According to the complaints, Gupta, a resident of Sajun Co-operative Housing Society, Malad (West), was away on a holiday when Wala cut out an illegal window, which directly faced the door to Gupta's house, in 1996. Initially nothing happened, but Wala started showing his true colours after two years. Standing in front of the window, he would tease Gupta and her daughters, making obscene gestures at them. Fed up with the harassment, Gupta registered 14 complaints at Malad police station, but the police every time turned a blind eye to the issue.u00a0

"When I asked a police officer why he is not taking action on Wala, he said, 'Madam hum majboor hain. Har baar ek politician phone kar ke action lene se mana karta hai. Wala aur politician ek hi biradari ke hain'. So I shifted my house," said Gupta. She also registered several complaints with the BMC. The BMC official thrice ordered to close the window. Wala closed the window only to reopen it after some time and intensify the torture.

The BMC official also issued notice to Wala under the MRTP Act in 2009. But this time too he hushed up the issue. Despite several attempts, Avinash Jadhav, senior inspector, Malad police station, was not available for comment. Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Sharda Raut said, "She is on leave, so I cannot comment on the issue." Additional Commissioner R R Pawar said, "Send Saroj Gupta to my office. I will look in to the matter."

The other side
"I am innocent. I am a bona fide member of the society and have a clean image. She is harassing me unnecessarily for the past three years. I have also registered a dozen complaints against her. She approached politician, so did I. In a reply to an RTI plea, BMC officials have also said that I am not liable under the MRTP Act. She wants the window closed so that she can freely continue illegal activities at her place," said Wala.