When Gaurav Sabnis, an Indian-origin professor at New Jersey’s Stevens Institute of Technology, learned that one of his students was planning a trip to India, he warned her to be on her guard at all times. Sabnis knew that a blonde American woman could attract unwanted attention in the country. Unfortunately, his warning proved prescient — when this student visited India, she was sexually harassed in a public place.
Sabnis shared on social media a note from the student detailing how she was groped on the Delhi Metro by a teenager, and how the teenager’s mother and sister defended his despicable act.
The professor’s warning
Sabnis said that in November, a former student approached him, asking for tips on travelling to India. She was planning to be in the country for roughly a week to attend a friend’s wedding. Gaurav Sabnis said he had warned his former student in advance about the risk of sexual harassment in India.
“When this former student called me in November for suggestions for her India trip for a friend’s wedding, I told her, be on guard for sexual harassment. Especially in Delhi. Here, you’re just another blond. There, you’ll be a target. Sadly, came true,” he said in his X post.
(Also read: Delhi Metro shocker: 22-year-old woman accuses elderly man of feeling her up, says ‘I’m scarred and scared’)
Asking for selfies
Sabnis shared a message he received from the student after her trip to India. In the message, she said that Indians came up to her and asked her to pose for pictures several times during the trip. While she refused several men, she did agree to pose for women and children sometimes.
“As you had predicted, I got asked for a lot of selfies. I thought you were exaggerating, but WOW! Starting from the baggage carousel in Delhi on landing, strangers were asking me for selfies,” the American woman said.
She said that she followed the Indian-American professor’s advice and firmly declined several requests. “But for women and children, using my judgement, I agreed. And it was fun for the most part,” she said.
However, one incident left a bitter taste. The woman said she agreed to take a picture with a teenager in Delhi. The teen proceeded to grope her.
Harassed on Delhi Metro
The US woman detailed the disturbing incident in her message to Sabnis.
She said that a teenage boy at a Delhi Metro station asked her for a picture. Since he was a teenager and accompanied by his mother and sister, the woman agreed. What happened next shook her.
According to the US woman, the teenager — around 14 to 15 years old — first put his arm around her shoulder. Although uncomfortable, she decided to say nothing.
The teen proceeded to grope her.
“He just straight up grabbed my breasts hard and spanked my butt and giggled like he had played a joke,” the woman said in her message.
Shocked and angry, she exploded in anger and grabbed him by the collar. What happened next was even more unexpected — the boy’s mother and sister defended him. They allegedly started getting upset at the American woman for “overreacting” and told her that the teenager had never seen a blonde before, and so got “carried away”.
“What kind of parenting is that?” the woman wondered in her message to Sabnis.
She called it an “unfortunate and ugly” incident that soured her overall impression of India. The American woman also told her former professor that although she loved India, she would not be visiting the country again — “In fact I’m going to give all of South Asia a pass,” she said.
(Also read: Man held for sexually harassing Delhi woman on Metro in Noida)
Outrage online
The incident sparked outrage online after Sabnis posted about it three days ago.
Several people suggested that the US woman should have filed a complaint. Others apologised on behalf of their countrymen.
“The saddest thing is, some women are the biggest enablers of their “raja betas” behaviour. It’s a vicious cycle – boy moms are of a “higher status”. So she is socialised to defend this, rather than beat the s**t out of him as a lesson,” wrote one X user.
“This is not just a disturbing incident, it’s also a cognizable offence.. the sad part is, the defense came from the one who was actually supposed to pull his ears and take him to task for this crime of molestation,” another agreed.
“ALL of my female friends, both Indian and visitors, including every woman in my family, have experienced sexual harassment in India. Several by their own family,” a user added.