#AintNoCinderella: Women fight for safety by sharing late-night selfies

Hundreds of women have taken to Twitter to post selfies of themselves out at midnight with the hashtag #AintNoCinderella against the victim-blaming in the recent Chandigarh stalking case. This incident has traumatized the country, and drawn tough reactions from all corners. It has also led to fresh discussions about women safety in India. 
 

The incident

Varnika Kundu, daughter of a senior Haryana IAS officer was driving home a little late after midnight on August 4, when she was allegedly chased and harassed by two men in a white SUV. One of these men was allegedly Haryana BJP chief Subhash Barala’s son, Vikas Barala. The woman alleged that the youths tried to intimidate her and abduct her.
 

In a Facebook post, Varnika said the two stalkers chased her in their car for some distance before cutting her off and approaching her vehicle on foot, beating on its windows and trying to enter. Narrating the horrific ordeal, Varnika had told the media she was lucky for not being the daughter of a common man.
 

"I'm lucky, it seems, to not be the daughter of a common man, because what chance would they have against such VIPs? I'm also lucky because I'm not lying raped and murdered in a ditch somewhere," she had written in a Facebook post. 
 

Vikas Barala was arrested on August 5 on the charges of stalking and harassing women. He was, however, granted bail on the same day. On Monday after the crucial CCTV video evidence went missing, the Chandigarh police recovered the missing footage of five key locations that showed Vikas and his friend chasing the woman in a car.

Soon after police said that the recovered footage shows Barala chasing the woman, Subhash Barala said the police is under no pressure and claimed that the victim was “like his daughter”.
 

The aftermath

In this incident, Chandigarh Police has been criticised for favouring the VIP brats. Opposition parties and leaders have been demanding that the Bharatiya Janata Party should seek Barala's resignation as the state BJP chief.
 

The incident has garnered strong reactions from all sides. Ramveer Bhatti, the area vice-president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said the incident would not have happened had Kundu not been out late.
 

“The girl should not have gone out at 12 in the night,” he said. “Why was she driving so late in the night? The atmosphere is not right. We need to take care of ourselves", he said.
 

Bhatti's comments sparked a resilient response from women on Twitter. Women took to social media to speak against this victim-blaming. They posted photos of themselves on nights out, with the hashtag ‘Aint No Cinderella’. Twitter was flooded with such posts, mocking Bhatti’s remark. This hashtag draws reference to the famous fairy tale in which Cinderella had to return home before midnight,

Congress leader Sharmishta Mukherjee and actor-turned-politician Divya Spandana, also known by her stage name, Ramya, also tweeted selfies of themselves out past midnight.

If I'm out at 12am, it DOES NOT mean I'm to be raped, molested, chased. My dignity is my right 24X7 #AintNoCinderella pic.twitter.com/6SN0I5NbSN

— Sharmistha Mukherjee (@Sharmistha_GK) August 7, 2017

#AintNoCinderella pic.twitter.com/L3ROrZkHMS

— Divya Spandana/Ramya (@divyaspandana) August 7, 2017

Pallavi Ghosh, Senior Editor, CNN News 18 also took to Twitter to explain the entire incident.

As #AintNoCinderella trends on social media : here is what started it : the bhatti deadline !! pic.twitter.com/qeRH11wrOj

— pallavi ghosh (@_pallavighosh) August 9, 2017

Here are the other posts that are trending on Twitter:

Dear regressive India,
I will do as I please, night or day. Don't ever think you have the right to stop me #AintNoCinderella pic.twitter.com/oHIKgbhoeA

— pooja (@queenpsays) August 7, 2017

No man can stop me from going out whenever I want. Public spaces for women! #AintNoCinderella pic.twitter.com/jaipo3Dtai

— Nabakalpita Bora (@NabakalpitaB) August 7, 2017

Hey it's midnight and I'm "out"!#AintNoCinderella pic.twitter.com/oKFNwtVIz0

— Palak Sharma (@Palaksharmanews) August 7, 2017

Guess what BJP, it's midnight and I'm outside and this party is rad. You want me to stay home to be safe, your bad. #AintNoCinderella pic.twitter.com/5x7UrDo0Ot

— Poorva Sharma (@PforPoorva) August 7, 2017

What I wear, till what time I stay out, whom I hang around with,bla bla.. is none of your business bcoz I #AintNoCinderella pic.twitter.com/hlFEE0y2Qq

— Surbhi Dwivedi (@DwivediSurbhi) August 7, 2017

Hi to all regressive authorities, from a cab, past midnight, dressed like I'm going to a party, but I'm actually not. #AintNoCinderella pic.twitter.com/Dhrwflck9i

— Surekha Rao (@surerao) August 7, 2017

Dear Sanskari BJP, it's well past midnight n i'm out having beer in Delhi. Join me? #AintNoCinderella #ChandigarhStalking pic.twitter.com/jXj5piZUqz

— Ridhima Malhotra (@RidhimaInd) August 8, 2017

Dear Regressive India,
We ain't damsels in distress. We are independent & we don't need you to curb our freedom#AintNoCinderella here! pic.twitter.com/mulliSsKwY

— Rekha Navani (@rekha_navani) August 7, 2017

#AintNoCinderella ... it's time to step out ! pic.twitter.com/CAWBJ83guk

— Sharmiela Mandre (@sharmilamandre) August 8, 2017

Don't teach me what to wear, what to eat and when to go out.. #AintNoCinderella #ItsMyLife pic.twitter.com/QYWcxQSxm4

— Bose Shruti (@Tinni_Aphrodite) August 7, 2017

I am a free soul! I am a woman of today ! I live with my free will #AintNoCinderella pic.twitter.com/afSmmBdH6t

— seema (@seemaadhikari) August 8, 2017

It's midnight and I can be wherever I want to be, because I #AintNoCinderella - Regressive India, please take note pic.twitter.com/TgycSQP17U

— Elixir Nahar (@ElixirNahar) August 7, 2017

My 16 year old daughter and I. We will go where/when we want...
And yes we're NOT looking 4 a prince to save either of us!#AintNoCinderella pic.twitter.com/wdrdmSiGNH

— BeeGorgeous (@BeeGorgeous3) August 7, 2017

#AintNoCinderella
Sun maybe gone... but we are here to rise. :) #DontCurseDarkness pic.twitter.com/20eZCrqKFB

— Samyukta Hornad (@samyuktahornad) August 7, 2017

Oops 1.45am and I am out on Delhi Roads, In a short Dress stop me if you can !!! #AintNoCinderella pic.twitter.com/P7PWQM487H

— San???????? (@farooquisana) August 7, 2017

Men also lent support to women and tweeted using the hashtag.

Women who are trending #AintNoCinderella should be called as Batgirls (Queen by day, Warrior by night) pic.twitter.com/Jp3p7SnBdi

— OMK (@omar_m_khan) August 7, 2017

Kudos Women <3 #AintNoCinderella pic.twitter.com/YxhFn1dF50

— ajit singh (@ajit__singh) August 8, 2017

I Support #AintNoCinderella hashtag no one has right to dictate/suggest terms on women... Constitution gives them equal rights..

— Awara ‏????‏ (@aawara_aatma) August 8, 2017

Who came up with — #AintNoCinderella? Badass! It's so sad that I can't tweet on this like all the women here. A big #ShoutOut to you all. 

— Gaurav Pandhi (@GauravPandhi) August 7, 2017
 

In a Facebook post, Kundu also thanked women for supporting her.