UK girl who alleged sex attack defends Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad is as safe for women as any other city in the world, says Kaya Eldridge, a charity worker from Dulwich, UK, who has approached the chief justice of Gujarat high court for justice. Eldridge had lodge a complaint with the Satellite police after a plumber allegedly molested her when she was alone in her apartment on August 24.

While talking to DNA on Thursday, Eldridge said she had no regrets about coming to
India, or Ahmedabad. “Such incidents can happen in India, the UK or any other part of the world, and with any woman, be it white, black, weak or strong,” she said. “But I object to the conspiracy to keep women silent (after such incidents).”

Eldridge had to suffer much humiliation during the hearing of the case in the metropolitan court where she was asked questions like whether she was staying legally in India, or if she drank or smoked. “The man accused of the crime — the plumber — was laughing and pointing at me all the time,” she said. “Also, they did not provide a translator to help me understand what the lawyers were asking me.”

When asked about what a woman would have gone through if she had faced the same situation in UK, she said, “If you are an Indian-origin girl in the UK and approach the judiciary, you will get a policewoman to accompany you to court. Women don’t have to face the accused in court. The interaction can be through filing of statements or video links.” This is not Eldridge’s first trip to India. Earlier, she had visited Tamil Nadu for two months and travelled across the country for another four.