On the eve of Vijayadashami, when the National Capital worshipped the Goddess Durga, and celebrated the divine feminity vanquishing evil, this reporter who had gone to cover the festivities, faced hooliganism and harassment by drunkards in Uttar Pradesh's Noida Sector 75. The incident that took place near a dense well guarded residential area on Saturday night, was a sign that hooligans who consider festivals an excuse to drink and drive are back on the roads after a nine-day Navratri break.

The streets were bustling with people who were out enjoying Ramlilas and Ravan Dahan the effigies of Ravan are set ablaze to symbolise the triumph of truth. Suddenly, a white Hyundai I-20 sports car (UP15CD6004) came speeding down the road. The driver was racing his car and swerving dangerously down the streets, at around 10 pm. They were driving as if they were heavily drunk.

At first, they nearly drove inside a shop on the side of the street risking the lives of many standing there. My friend Utkarsh, and I were there too as we had stopped to buy snacks from a street vendor after returning from a Dusshera mela I had gone to cover.

When I was on the left side of the road, trying to cross it along with my friend, the car came speeding towards me. He pulled me to the side just in time. Else I would have been mowed down or getting hit by the racing car. For a second, the car stopped and swayed again in an abrupt manner.

While my friend shouted at the car driver, and I stood shaking, worried with what was a near death experience, two bystanders, who were also drinking on the side of the road, started abusing him. They yelled slurs and told him to not shout at the drivers.

Worried over what could turn into an ugly fight and potential risk to life, I took my friend to the other side by which time the car driver must have heard people asking for police to arrive at the location and take action against them. They raced their car back into a nearby housing society.

Upon calling the police on 112, the officers responded by asking if we will file a report on the same in an unsympathetic manner. A police van with two officers arrived at the location after about 20 minutes of the incident.

However, when the police came, they again asked us to file a police complaint at a station while we requested them to take action immediately so that our safety was ensured. “We saw them racing in the society right here. At least try to find out if the guards know if the car belongs to any of the flat,” we told the police.

The police officers asked some questions in a half-hearted manner to the guard, and we were again told to go to the nearby sector-113 police station in Noida. We were in shock, but decided to go to the police station and filed a complaint. The police assured us that action will be taken, however, none has been taken by Sunday.

However, as a single working woman in this city whose job does not have fixed hours, one cannot imagine the safety concerns even filing a complaint brings about. “What if they find me alone and attack me? They must have seen my face while I remain unknown of their identity” looms over the head of a woman in a country when gang rapes and murder are an everyday affair with accused living unhinged,” were some of the thoughts rushing in my head.

My friend Utkarsh, a political consultant, remained in a state of fear. “It was a scary moment; I could see a severe accident happening if I weren't prompt enough. But after all of it was over, all I could think was how to escape this? It was a festive night, which has now become an event to get drunk and create ruckus on the streets and ruin it for everyone,” he said.

“Safety is a primal instinct, things like this made me wonder if I should just leave this country at the first opportunity and settle in a safer place. It is also disappointing to see festivals being ruined by alcoholics like this. The religious people need to introspect, while the fervour around religion keeps increasing, the religiosity is slowly dying,” the 25 year old added.

A shopkeeper who was present at the time of the incident, said, “It keeps happening, people are now drinking openly in the streets, there seems to be no fear of law. Same people then eve-tease women, indulge in rash-driving and overall create chaos on the streets.”