Bengaluru woman confronts harassment in Metro, slaps accused; probe on
Bengaluru: A video of a young woman narrating her ordeal of alleged sexual harassment by an elderly man while travelling on Namma Metro here has gone viral on the social media on Friday, drawing widespread appreciation for her courage in confronting the accused and lodging a police complaint.
In the video, the woman recounts that the incident occurred while she was returning from her workplace.
She said that she managed to get a seat on the Metro and was initially seated comfortably between two passengers.
“Until halfway through the journey, everything was normal. Everyone was minding their own business and looking at their phones,” she added.
She alleged that the situation changed after the passenger seated next to her got down at a station and another man occupied the seat.
According to her, the man sat unusually close to her, making her feel uncomfortable.
She said she tried to adjust her position to create space, initially assuming that the contact was accidental.
However, the woman alleged that the man then deliberately touched her leg with his leg and, despite her asking him to move, continued his behaviour.
“After a few seconds, his hand came again. That’s when I realised it was not a mistake but intentional,” she said, adding that she froze momentarily on realising what was happening.
The woman said she decided to act when she realised that her destination station had arrived and that the man might continue harassing others if she remained silent.
“I was really angry. I am a person who is reactive. I react first and then think. The moment this happened, I froze inside. But, the second I realised that my station is here and I am getting down here… I can’t react and this person is going to pass for what he has done and he is going to be doing this more in Metro to other people, I decided to act,” she added.
“I got up and slapped him. I gave him a tight slap and asked him to get up,” she said, adding that the man also alighted at the same station.
The woman also alleged that she slapped the man again on the platform as he cried and begged, even showing contradictory expressions.
She said, “But, above all of this, he was smiling also. He is showing painful expression and then he was smiling. He was in denial and saying something in Kannada, which I don’t understand. This fellow was not opening his mouth and he knew he had done something wrong. He was saying sorry and he was saying something else.”
According to the victim, the Metro security personnel intervened and took both of them to the Metro office.
She said she insisted on calling the police and filing a formal complaint.
The victim later lodged a complaint at the Upparpet Police Station.
Police said the incident took place around 7 p.m. on December 23.
An non-cognisable report has been registered under charges of indecent behaviour and sexual harassment, police added.
The police have launched an investigation and are examining the CCTV footage from the Metro.
The accused has been identified as a 45-year-old man, and police said appropriate action will be taken based on the findings of the investigation.