Two minutes for yours\', your family\'s and your friends\' safety - Sign the petition for stricter laws against Eve-teasing

We are aware of Reuben and Keenan incident that happened some days ago in Amboli, Andheri West. Two young professionals in their twenties lost their lives while defending the girls in their group from some drunk goons. This incident happening in Mumbai and that too with such a set of young people, with whom I cannot fail to see the resemblance with myself and my set of friends, is horrifying and shameful at the same time. I have read, heard and seen the interviews of the people involved in the incident and it leaves me in no doubt that if even a dozen bystanders would have come forward these two lives could have been saved.

Fear in the their minds was the driving factor for this mute and nil reaction by the people standing there.. Fear of weapons, fear of the so-called 'bhais', fear for their lives. But the biggest reason is a blunt law regarding these incidents which fails to convince the common man that culprit would be adequately punished and helping the victims would not result is a headache for themselves. IPC Section 354 along with 509 - which deals with such eve-teasing incidents can be best summarized as follows:

Section 354, IPC - Assault or criminal force to a woman with the intent to outrage her modesty - whoever assaults or uses criminal force to any woman, intending to outrage or knowing it to be likely that he will thereby outrage her modesty, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine or both. Section 509, IPC - Word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman - whoever intending to insult the modesty of any woman utters any word, makes any sound or gesture, or exhibits any object intending that such word or sound shall be heard, or that such gesture or object shall be seen by such woman, or intrudes upon the privacy of such woman, shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine, or both.

Section 354 of the IPC is a cognizable but bailable offence, and bail is known to be granted in a vast majority of the cases; while section 509 of the IPC is non-cognizable and doesn't even reflect on the criminal record of the perpetrator of the crime. This makes these laws quiet weak as far as culprits are concerned, I have read that main accused Jitendra Rana was 'positive' that he will be out in no time!

This petition would call on Mr R R Patil, Hon'ble Home Minister, Govt. of Maharashtra to strengthen sections 354 and 509 of the IPC by making them both cognizable and non-bailable offenses and make it widely known to public so as to target the mentality of people who have no fear of law and also the people who don't have faith in the law.

I request you to sign the petition at the below link.

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/zero-tolerance-campaign.html

It won't take more than a couple of minutes of your time but the outcome would definitely lead to a safe environment for us, our families and our friends.