Amid rising incidents of ‘harassment’, security guards learn to fight back

Agencies that place the guards in Noida societies are sensitising them on how to protect themselves if the situation turns violent; many guards have quit their jobs following the attacks

Ujjwal Shukla, a 24-year-old man from Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh, recently started working at a garments company as an office assistant.

The arts graduate said he got lucky with the new job after quitting his old position as a security guard in a plush society in Noida in a hurry. Asked what prompted him to change his job, Mr. Shukla said, “Managing a family of five with minimum wages and little or no respect is a difficult task.”

Mr. Shukla was one of the guards who was attacked and abused by three women residents of Ajnara Green Homes in Noida Sector 121 on October 8. One woman, who was allegedly inebriated, held Mr. Shukla by his collar and threw away his cap. While an FIR was registered and the women were arrested, they were let out on bail the next day.

“This wasn’t the first time they [the three women] had misbehaved with us. On October 1, they hurled abuses at us when we were doing our duty of checking every vehicle before allowing them entry,” said Mr. Shukla.

A video of the attack went viral on social media and triggered an outrage, following which the society asked the three women to vacate their flat.

For the guards, however, the video only caused “humiliation and embarrassment”. “My family asked me to change the job after seeing the clip,” said Mr. Shukla.

Another guard, Sachin Rana, who had been working at the society for four years, also left his job after the incident. He said he has applied to telecom companies for a sales position.