‘Even helping is a crime these days,’ says mother of man thrashed for resisting harassment in city

new delhi: “Even helping someone is a crime these days,” lamented the mother of a 26-year-old man who was left with severe head injuries after he tried to stop a group of men from harassing women in south Delhi’s Mehrauli area.

Sarvesh, whose son Mukesh is battling multiple injuries at the AIIMS Trauma Centre, said the family is traumatised by the brutality of the attack that occurred in the early hours of February 3. He was returning from a wedding when he intervened to protect a group of women at a tea stall, only to be struck down and

thrashed by four men.

“Even helping someone in this day and age is a crime because my son tried to help and he got so badly injured,” Sarvesh said on Thursday. “If someone had not stopped those people, they would have killed him. He has injuries all over his body. Those women and the man saved him and took him to hospital.” Mukesh, a resident of Sangam Vihar, was returning from his maternal uncle’s wedding at 5 am when stopped for a tea and noticed a group of men allegedly harassing two to three women nearby.

“I asked those people to not do such things and told them it is not good to eve-tease women. That’s all I said,” he stated. The intervention was met with immediate and disproportionate violence.

According to Mukesh, one of the men struck him on the head with a stone-like object, knocking him unconscious. The assault continued as he lay on the ground, but further escalation was prevented by a bystander.

“One Muslim man saved me from further assault. I am very thankful to him... I would have lost my life if he didn’t intervene,” he said.

The women he defended also stayed at the spot, calling the Police Control Room and ensuring he reached the hospital. A case has been registered at the Mehrauli police station under sections pertaining to attempt to commit culpable homicide, insulting the modesty of a woman, wrongful restraint and common intention. The probe followed a woman’s complaint and a viral assault video; four men were arrested after CCTV analysis, showing the victim beaten unconscious on a city road.