Indian Man Risks Death To Save Woman Getting Raped — Suffers Deep Gashes On Neck From Strangulation, But Doesn’t Give Up

An Indian man is being hailed as a hero for saving a woman who was being raped by three men. The man bravely confronted the woman’s tormentors and was brutally attacked for doing so. However, his persistence ensured the woman was saved.

Vasanth Paul, who hails from Chennai, a southern state in India, allegedly risked his own life to save a woman from being raped. The Chennai-based photographer decided to intervene and confronted the would-be rapist. His heroic efforts resulted in a bloody confrontation, during which the tormentors attempted to strangle him. However, Paul didn’t give up, and despite sustaining deep gashes on his neck, he managed to save the woman, who sought the help of a rickshaw driver to chase the men away before they could kill Paul.

Vasanth Paul – I hope you know, men like you are my heroes! https://t.co/b37q6vLB0r #india #EverydayHeroes

— LolaNutty (@namitaadavi) July 23, 2016

The incident happened on Friday when Paul was returning home after catching the latest Rajnikanth-starrer Kabali, reported StoryPick. While walking home, he heard the desperate cries of a woman from an empty plot of land not far from him. Though Paul doesn’t speak any Hindi, the language in which the woman was shouting for help, he could understand she needed help, he said on a Facebook post.

“Right behind me was an empty piece of land and I heard mourning sounds combined with sounds of resistance.. I tried walking away but instantly heard a faint drugged cry saying ‘bachao.. please help… anna.. anna.. anna..'”

While Paul attempted to cause a commotion to alert any passersby, none were in the vicinity at that hour. Despite being alone, Paul did not abandon the woman. When he went near, he witnessed three men attacking a woman, two of whom were trying to undress her. The woman appeared to be heavily sedated. Paul immediately engaged the men in a fist fight. However, one of them threw a thick rope around his neck and started to strangle him, reported BuzzFeed.

Chennai Model Saves Girl From Being Raped! https://t.co/fjjqUdTMbt #VasanthPaul pic.twitter.com/Kp827fyEl5

— TeluguOdu (@TeluguOdu) July 23, 2016

Paul says his intervention created confusion and offered the woman just enough time to escape their clutches. Though she was able to get away, the woman quickly returned with an auto-rickshaw driver. The duo then saved Paul who was still being attacked. Surprisingly, though the men escaped, the woman refused to file a police complaint. Hurting from his neck injuries, Paul returned home and chronicled the evening on Facebook. The post immediately went viral.

https://www.facebook.com/VasanthPaulB/posts/10202065474074549

In the Facebook post, Paul urged his fellow Indians not be a passive bystander when one witnesses violence in the streets.

“I have so many scars on my body but I’m sure I’ll be proud of these. I wrote the status because I was angry and hurt at the way things were last night. I just wrote it to express that. I have been overwhelmed by the response from people since then.

“Don’t be afraid to face a situation, just cos you’re alone.. if the cause is right, the world would join you right away!!!!! Stay safe people.. and look out for one another!!”

Many of the people who praised his actions asked why neither the woman nor he filed a police complaint. Paul noted that the woman specifically requested not to file a police case. However, despite being a victim of assault, Paul attempted to find a cop to report the three men, but gave up after he couldn’t find one. Paul insists that his friends are on the lookout for the culprits, reported WhatsUrSkill.

Rape is a very common crime in India. Many perpetrators take advantage of out-of-town women who have migrated for jobs. Often these women refuse to seek legal recourse or file a police complaint since they will have to invest a lot of their time for the legal proceedings. Many women are justifiably worried they might lose their job if such an incident comes to light.

[Photo by Indranil Mukherjee/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images]