Zaira Wasim Molestation and some Questions

Zaira Wasim, the overnight Bollywood sensation from Dangal and Secret Superstar.

She live-streamed about how she was “molested” by a man on the flight and cried copiously for added effect.

Th entirety of Bollywood rallied behind her.

“Oh, she is just a child! How cruel!”
“Which monster would do this?”
“Are women not safe even in aircrafts now?”

Even the Maharshtra Commission for Children and Women came out all guns blazing and began issuing statements and shit.Half of them didn’t even see her video and just went by the screenshots of her red, crying face plastered across news channels with the headline “Zaira Wasim molested in a plane”.Within hours the identity of the man was found, his name published, his address known and all of that usual drama.Did anyone care what happened? Did anyone wait to think what the accusation was and why she didn’t say anything right then and there to her “molester” when he molested her but chose to go home and unload over social media to her followers waiting with buckets to collect her tears?

Her main allegation was this

“It continued for another five to ten minutes and then I was sure of it. He kept nudging my shoulder and continued to move his foot up and down my back and neck,"

Excuse me, girl?

How were you “sure of it” again?

Did you turn around and take a look? Did you ask him to shut it? Did you tell the airline staff? Did you tell your mother who was with you?

No!

You just decided that since a foot was peeping out from the sides of your armrest, and because it was moving around for 5 to 10 minutes, the man was a molester.

You didn’t even wait to file a formal complaint with the airlines or the airport even though they asked if you wanted to. You didn’t respond when the airline asked you whether they should detain the accused. You did nothing.You went home and you cried yourself out on Facebook and mixed imagination with fact and painted a really grotesque picture.And the gall the media channels showed to blur her face (which she herself shared on social media) but ran the accused’s name as a headline, is just unbelievable.The man was taken into custody (arrested is more like it) and he said he was coming home from attending his uncle’s funeral and was very tired and had requested the airline staff for a blanket and also told them not to disturb him for anything, not even food, because he wanted to sleep.

And sleep he did.

The airline in its internal investigation confirmed most of the accused’s claims and attested to the fact that he was indeed sleeping throughout the flight.When his outstretched legs touched Ms. Wasim’s shoulder and when he realized it, he even apologized to her on the spot.But little did Ms. Precious care about that.She just began shouting because the guy’s foot was disturbing her.

Is it an easy sight to see someone’s foot beside your face? No. But is it sexual harassment? Is it molestation? HELL NO!All she had to do was turn around and tell him in a firm voice, “Hey Mister! Your foot’s on my armrest. Please.”That’s how you be “sure” Ms. #IAmTooFamousToTurnAroundAndTalkToMereMortals! You don’t get sure by doing nothing. And you certainly don’t get the freeking rights to go home and destroy a person’s life, image, and career with your over the top acting. We already know you are a good actress. I saw you in Dangal.

Am I saying I believe the man did not molest her at all? Of course not. He might have. But the evidence at hand supports his version of the story much, much more than Ms. Wasim’s. And why should I be predisposed to believe a crying girl more than an accused man in face of such contradicting evidence?Of course, I don’t believe she is doing all of this purposefully. She is 17 and people do think with their heart (read hormones) than with their brains at that age. It is that age when I wrote Facebook posts seeking attention about how my lover had betrayed me, I get it. It feels good to be comforted and to be mollycoddled.But people like her are the reason real women who come around with real stories of harassment don’t get any justice and are looked down with suspicion.

Q. Aren’t you also jumping the gun and terming the man innocent too soon?

No, I am not jumping the gun and terming the man innocent. I am just saying I will accord equal credibitlity to both Ms. Wasim and the accused. But based on evidence available, I tend to believe the accused. Ms. Wasim’s version really is flaky.

Q. The man was molesting because even if your’re sleeping, you will know it if your feet touches someone.

Umm, no you really don’t. If you can, you have problems with sleeping. Consult a doctor please.

Q. Ms. Wasim did point out what happened in the flight itself.

No she didn’t. She waited for 10 minutes, clicked photos of the man’s foot and then screamed when the flight was about to land. She didn’t wait even after the airlines asked her about the incident.

Q. The media is treating this as an alleged incident, don’t blame them.

Every incident is treated as an alleged incident but how can I not blame them when thy try to ‘protect’ the accuser’s identity (when even she didn’t want that) but read out the accused’s name and make special reports on him?