Stalking should be treated as a serious crime

Dilip Jain

A 27-year-old victim of revenge porn has filed her fifth FIR against her stalker, Dilip Jain, 43, saying harassment has not stopped despite the court externing him. A report in this paper detailed the fear she is living in as Jain's persistence has not worn off. From peppering his Whats App messages with threats to what he would do to the survivor and her family, to revisiting places from where he was externed the nightmare continues for the survivor and her family.

Understandably, we have seen a deluge of letters with readers stating that the stalker needs to be nabbed soon. Through this report which also cites the fear that has enveloped the survivor's family, readers are discerning that the survivor is in grave danger from this man. If this continues, it can also in some extreme cases, result in self-harm.

This bring us to another less talked about facet about stalking and this is mental well-being of the person being stalked. The stalker relishes arousing fear and seeing his target disconcerted. He spins a web around the person snaring them in worries and forcing them to live in a constant state of wariness and completely on edge. The emotional cost of this is very high. The stalker relies heavily on the element of surprise. In today's world, he stalks on social media (cyber stalking) and in the real world. The stalker relies on surprise and catching the victim off guard. That itself plays on one psychologically and disturbs one's peace of mind.

The mental toll will definitely have ramifications on physical health, too. While there is always the physical danger, the considerable cost is mental, too. Enervating and exhausting, it can push an individual to the brink and at times over the edge. Stalking is life threatening is different ways and that is what makes it so dangerous.

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