state of maharashtra had 2nd most eve-teasing FIRS in 2010, kirsten Dunst says depression caused by career dichotomy

State had 2nd-most eve-teasing FIRs in 10 Many Cases Not Recorded As Police Arent Sensitive To Issue,Say Activists Maharashtras conviction rate for sexual harassment cases decided in 2010 pales in comparison to the rates achieved in states like UP (76%),Punjab (52%) or Kerala (30%).According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB),Maharashtra had a poor 5% rate in 2010. Cases of sexual harassment,which include eve-teasing on the streets,are filed under Section 509 of the Indian Penal Code,where the accused is booked for uttering a word or committing a gesture or act that insults the modesty of a woman. Interestingly,Maharashtra saw the second-highest number of FIRs filed for sexual harassment in 2010.Andhra Pradesh had 4,562 FIRs,while Mahrashtra had 1,180.In Mumbai alone,138 FIRs were filed.However activists said this was no indication of actual instances,as most cases are not reported.Incidentally,APs conviction rate in 2010 was way ahead of Maharashtras at 35%. The fact that 1,180 women in Maharashtra suffered eve teasing is itself a very high number.Many cases go unreported and the real numbers are much higher, said Sonya Gill of the All India Democratic Womens Association.The incidence of such crimes is rising.The state must set up a mechanism to tackle the issue in a better manner. Societal and systemic reasons are to blame for the poor reporting and conviction rates.In the Amboli case,it took the friends of the victims over a fortnight to decide to mention eve teasing in their witness statements. Mihir Desai,of the voluntary organisation India Centre for Human Rights and Law,is one of the experts sceptical about other states outdoing Maharashtra by such a huge margin.But he said,Recording and conviction rates of crimes such as eve teasing depends on how sensitive the police are to such incidents.What is perceived as eve teasing by a woman may not be recorded if the cop doesnt perceive it as such. Advocate Flavia Agnes,who works with victims of violence,said fighting sexual harassment is daunting and victims often give up midway.She recalled how two women molested outside a Juhu five-star hotel on New Years eve in 2007 preferred to drop the charges.Also,the public doesnt come forward to be witnesses, said Agnes. The state is waking up to the reality of few convictions.A committee was set up under the joint secretary,home department,in May to look into the trend.There were several factors in other states which aided better conviction rates.For instance,there was better forensic facilities and more liaisons between public prosecutors and the police, said J Supekar of the state CID (crime),who was part of the panel.Judicial pendency in Maharashtra too is higher. Inputs by S Ahmed Ali -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Denied money for booze, man sets wife ablaze Kannagi Desai, TNN | Nov 10, 2011, 02.53AM IST Article Comments (1) Read more:Sadhana|man burns wife|Malwani police|Bhagwati Hospital 1 MUMBAI: The Malwani police are on the lookout for a 31-year-old man who allegedly set his pregnant wife on fire on Tuesday at their MHB colony home. The incident took place after the victim, Sadhana Sonavane, refused to give her husband, Sunil, money to buy alcohol. Sadhana suffered 90% burns and is undergoing treatement at Bhagwati Hospital. tnn in Borivli. Her husband, Sunil, has been booked on charges of 'attempt to murder.' No arrests have been made yet. Sunil and Sadhana (28) got married three years ago. They stayed at MHB Colony in Malwani and did not have any kids. "Sunil was unemployed and an alcoholic. Sadhana worked as a maid at two places and ran the house single-handedly. The couple fought regularly about Sunil's drinking habit and his constant demands for money," said senior inspector Abdul Rauf Shaikh. "On Tuesday, around 8 pm, Sunil got drunk and once again started pestering Sadhana for money. When she refused, he got angry with her. He then emptied a can of kerosene on his wife and struck a match. While she burned, he fled from the house." Neighbours rushed Sadhana to the Bhagwati Hospital at Borivli. "We later learnt that Sadhana was pregnant, but we aren't aware when she was to deliver," a police official said. "She isn't in a condition to speak." Police officials rushed to the couple's home on being informed about the incident. A case has been registered under section 307 of the IPC against Sunil, who is on the run. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Neighbours set man ablaze in front of sister Nitasha Natu, TNN Nov 9, 2011, 03.03AM IST MUMBAI: A man died of severe burns after three neighbours set him ablaze at a chawl at Seven Bungalows in Andheri (West) on Monday evening. The police said Rehmat Hasan Shah (36) was locked in a dispute with the three over the redevelopment of the chawl. Hours before his killing, he had a spat with them over a petty issue. The police said a complaint about the incident was filed by Shah's sister Noorbanu Shaikh (35), who resides in the same chawl. No arrests have been made yet. "It was around 7.30 pm. I was at the door when I suddenly saw this person egged on by two men pour kerosene on my brother outside his chawl room. I rushed out screaming, but the neighbours had locked themselves inside their rooms. I kept knocking on their doors, to no avail. By then my brother was burning." This is what Rehmat Hasan Shah's sister Noorbanu Shaikh told a policeman about his murder on Monday. Shah (36), who died of severe burns in hospital, was a resident of Flower Chawl in Sunderwadi, Seven Bungalows, Andheri (West). The police said that Shaikh in her complaint said Shah did not get along with the three accused--Savio Fernandes, his brother Sayo Fernandes and Sanjay Parab--as they wanted him to sell his chawl room in view of a redevelopment project. The accused, residents of the same chawl, had even approached Shah's mother to persuade him to sell the room, as it belonged to her. But she stood behind her son. Shah, who worked as a chauffeur, lived in the room with his mother, wife and a seven-year-old son from a previous marriage; his first wife went back to her hometown after the couple separated, taking along with her their younger son, now aged four. Shaikh (35) resides in the same chawl, but in a separate room. According to a relative of Shah, he had demanded two flats in the redeveloped building, if his and his sister's rooms were to be demolished. But he was being offered one flat, and so was not keen on the project. On Monday evening, Shah went to Shaikh's room to wish her for Bakri Eid. He had planned to visit other relatives afterwards. On his way out, he saw the three accused hanging around. The men poked fun at Shah for his squint, which angered him. Shaikh immediately intervened and prevented Shah from getting into a fight with the three. Sometime later, around 7.30 pm, finding Shah alone, they set him ablaze. "He sustained 80% burns," Shaikh told the police in her complaint. When she was looking for people to save him, "someone poured water on him and covered him with a blanket. But he succumbed to his injuries, at Cooper Hospital". Shah's nephew told TOI that his assailants had in the past beaten up his relatives. Sunderwadi residents said the three were notorious in the locality. "They are goons. They slap and abuse kids if they want some message to be to conveyed to their parents," said a resident. "They have been creating trouble for those who haven't consented to the redevelopment scheme." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kirsten Dunst: Depression caused by career 'dichotomy' By: Bang Showbiz Posted: 11/8/2011 10:30 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies) 0 1 Share1 Print E–mail Report Error Kirsten Dunst Enlarge Image Kirsten Dunst Kirsten Dunst claims her depression was caused by the "weird dichotomy" of being an actress. The 'Melancholia' star checked into the Cirque Lodge Treatment Center, in Utah, to be treated for the mental health condition in February 2008 and she claims the pressures of her career caused her problems. Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres asked her: "There is no way to bring up without saying what it . You suffered from depression." To which Kirsten answered: "It's not something I feel like totally comfortable talking about but yeah, it's a very personal thing . I dealt with it. Yeah. That and it's also interesting as an actress you're supposed to be sensitive and vulnerable and have this side to you. But then your supposed to be super sociable and 'on' and like nice to everybody. That's a weird dichotomy. It's a lot to ask of a person. It's not a normal thing." The 29-year-old actress believes it was the right thing for her to do to have treatment and take a break from Hollywood, because she was able to return to her career reinvigorated. Kirsten - whose breakthrough role came when she was just 10 in 'Interview with the Vampire' - added: "I definitely took a little bit of a break. And also, when you're in your 20s you need figure things out and take a step back. I had been acting so long, all my life. I think I just needed a little bit of some perspective. It was good for me and it re-inspired what I do, too." However, Kirsten avoids the Hollywood party circuit and only attends the premieres of her own movies. She said: "I avoid the red carpet as much as possible. You have to do it to promote your movies obviously but you won't see me at an event just for the sake of it." ersonal Thing Kirsten Dunst: Depression Is a Very Personal Thing Kirsten Dunst makes an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in an episode airing today! Here’s what the 29-year-old Melancholia actress had to share with Ellen: On taking a break from Hollywood: “I definitely took a little bit of a break. And also, when you’re in your twenties you need figure things out and take a step back. I had been acting so long, all my life. I think I just needed a little bit of some perspective. It was good for me and it re-inspired what I do.” On dealing with depression: “It’s not something I feel like totally comfortable talking about but yeah, it’s a very personal thing. It’s also interesting as an actress you’re supposed to be sensitive and vulnerable and have this side to you. But then your supposed to be super sociable and ‘on’ and like nice to everybody. That’s a weird dichotomy. It’s a lot to ask of a person. It’s not a normal thing.” On how she feels about the red carpet: “I avoid the red carpet as much as possible. You have to do it to promote your movies obviously but you won’t see me at an event just for the sake of it.” FYI: Kirsten is wearing a Dolce&Gabbana dress, Nicholas Kirkwood shoes, and Tom Binns earrings. Bigger picture inside…