We wanted to kill ourselves: Girl in Bal Thackeray Facebook row

"We wanted to kill ourselves as soon as we went home from the police station," said Rinu Srinivasan, recalling the night of November 17 when she and her friend Shaheen Dhada were arrested for questioning the city's shutdown following the death of Sena leader Bal Thackeray.

"Shaheen began to cry when a policeman told her that her uncle's hospital had been vandalised. But I handled myself. I guess you find strength somewhere in such situations," she said.

"Two women slapped me inside the police station in full view of the policewomen who were holding us," Rinu said. However, having experienced a lifetime's worth of trouble and media attention in a week, the Srinivasans are not eager to pursue the matter. "At that time, I didn't say or do anything because I was still trying to understand what was happening. If I try to raise the issue now, a mob might gather outside my home," she said.

The Srinivasans have now applied for exemption from reporting at Palghar police station every Wednesday. "The application will come up in court only on December 3. The case has now been transferred to Boisar police station," said their lawyer Sudhir Gupta.

Shaheen, meanwhile, has left the city. "She and her family have gone out of Maharashtra," said her uncle Dr Abdul Dhada.

With the absence of Shaheen, the action and attention has shifted quickly to the Srinivasans' home, which was guarded by policemen from noon on Tuesday.

"I do not know why they (the policemen) came here. I can only speculate that they were posted here in anticipation of trouble following the suspension of the SP and senior inspector and the transfer of the judicial magistrate," said Rinu's father P A Srinivasan.

"On Sunday, I was not allowed to see Rinu at all. We finally came home at 2.30 am and woke up at 7.30 am to go to the court. We didn't eat or drink anything and then I ran around arranging for bail. It is not a great experience, but we will not forget it either. On the positive side, people are now understanding the IT Act. The sad part is that we had to the victims," he said.

... contd.

ALSO READ

In a first, BMC to survey children under 14

Teen raped at birthday party, sold to man

Alleged bomb planter Siddiqui claims ATS threatened to kill him

Cops pin hopes on CCTV footage to arrest acid attack accused