- विज्ञापन -
Bengaluru: In response to the increasing incidents of sexual assaults and harassment occurring in Bengaluru at night, Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara remarked on Monday that “such incidents occur here and there in a big city.” His comments followed a media inquiry about a recent case of sexual harassment that surfaced on Sunday.
Parameshwara emphasized the need for vigilance, stating, “I have advised the Bengaluru Police Commissioner to remain alert every day. Effective and disciplined police patrolling must be carried out in all areas of Bengaluru city.” He added that the public tends to focus on such incidents when reported, but assured that they won’t be overlooked as the police department is continuously at work.
“The police force is operating day and night despite facing extreme weather conditions, which is why Bengaluru continues to be a peaceful city,” he noted. The minister also reiterated his instruction for the efficient management of the police beat system, mentioning that he discussed this with the Police Commissioner again that morning.
The comments come in light of a viral video showing two young women being harassed by a man in a residential area during the early hours. Recorded around 2 a.m. on April 4 in the Sadduguntepalya police station jurisdiction, the 17-second video depicts a tall, well-built man attacking one of the women and sexually harassing the other before fleeing the scene. The visibly shaken women caught their breath briefly before leaving.
Following the incident, the police registered an FIR based on a complaint from a local resident and have initiated a search for the suspect while gathering further evidence. Residents expressed their shock over the incident, asserting that such occurrences were unusual for their neighborhood. Many called for increased night patrols, especially with the rise of paying guest accommodations in the area for added safety.
In another alarming case, a young woman was allegedly harassed while riding her scooter on Hennur Main Road, near the Indian Petrol Bunk in the Banasawadi area. The incident, reported on Saturday (April 5), occurred at around 4:30 a.m. when two assailants chased and ambushed her. They sexually harassed her until she raised an alarm, prompting nearby passers-by to come to her aid. However, the attackers threatened the rescuers with a knife and managed to escape.
Earlier that week, on April 3, a young migrant worker from Bihar was kidnapped and raped while searching for food with her brother near a railway station, as per reports from the Mahadevapura police station limits.
This series of incidents illustrates a troubling trend of sexual harassment in the city; one previous case involved a young woman being inappropriately touched by a man on a bike in Ramamurthy Nagar, which was captured on CCTV. The assailant was arrested shortly after the woman filed a complaint.
