Mangaluru: 24-year-old woman alleges sexual harassment on city bus, Instagram post goes viral
Here’s what the victim, police officials told Vartha Bharati
Mangaluru: A 24-year-old woman on Thursday evening took to her Instagram account alleging sexual harassment by a co-passenger on a city bus in Mangaluru. The post has now gone viral and has received wide public response who have come forward and have spoken against such criminal behavior by co-passengers on city buses here.
The victim was on her way from Konaje towards Pumpwell on Thursday, 14 January when an unidentified man boarded the bus in which she was traveling and sat next to her even as there were other vacant seats on the bus.
According to the woman, the man who boarded the bus from a bus stop near KS Hedge Hospital started touching her inappropriately. Irked by his behavior, she confronted the man, following which he apologized and switched his seat before getting down from the bus.
“After he got down from the bus, I felt relieved as well as disgusted with other passengers who witnessed my confrontation and chose to remain silent even as I shouted at the offender,” the victim told Vartha Bharati over a phone call.
What shocked her was, seeing the offender boarding the bus again after a couple of stops and coming back to sitting next to her, she added in the post.
She told Vartha Bharati that the offender started behaving inadequately again and sexually harassed her by touching her inappropriately.
“That’s when I decided I was not going to take it lightly. As I approached my stop i.e. Pumpwell, I once again shouted at him and clicked his picture while also warning him of posting his picture across social media platforms. To my surprise, that person took off his mask and posed for the picture on my phone, and when I clicked his picture he thanked me for clicking the picture” she further informed Vartha Bharati.
“When I was about to get down on my station, out of frustration and to teach him a lesson, I once again shouted at him and also kicked him while expecting support or reaction from other passengers or the bus conductor. But nobody turned up for my help, they were being mere spectators of what they perhaps thought was the drama” she added.
On being asked if she plans to take legal measures against the offender, she said she has already filed a complaint at Mangaluru Women Police Station and has received an NC for it.
“I don’t want to get someone arrested. It is not about one person. Several women and men too are being harassed like this on buses in the city. I want to create awareness and want people to talk about it and seek help. In most cases, the victims don’t talk about it for various reasons. I want them to talk about it and respond. Arresting one person will not help, nor will silently bearing such behaviors help” she added.
The Instagram post was well received by social media users and in no time has grossed nearly 65K likes at the time of publishing of this report. Hundreds of users have also shared their views in the comment section of the post and several others have lauded her for being gutsy enough to talk about what she went through.
Users were also of the opinion that several women go through the same every day but choose to remain silent which in return encourages the offenders to continue such behaviors as they go unchecked.
Women Police Station PSI Rosamma however confirmed that no FIR was filed in the case, as the victim had not filed a written complaint or had sought filing of FIR against any unidentified person. But she added the department was mulling to run awareness campaigns in this regard. She also added that several campaigns were initiated earlier, but were forced down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, last year.
Rosamma, while talking to Vartha Bharati also stressed that women need to talk about any such harassment or inadequate behavior by co-passengers on public transport and has assured immediate action on incidents that are reported.
View this post on Instagram
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Over 22 per cent polling in 14 LS seats in Karnataka till 11 am
Bengaluru (PTI): An estimated 22.34 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 11 am during the first phase of Lok Sabha polls in 14 constituencies in Karnataka on Friday.
Long queues were seen at many polling booths, as people, especially senior citizens and morning walkers, came out to vote during the early hours of the voting, which began at 7 am.
According to election officials, the voter percentage till 11 am was about 22.34 per cent.
Out of 14 segments that are going to polls today, highest turnout of 30.98 per cent was recorded in Dakshina Kannada, followed by Udupi-Chikmagalur 29.03 per cent, and the least 19.21 per cent in Bangalore Central.
The turnout was 19.81 per cent in Bangalore South, and 19.78 per cent in Bangalore North.
In the first phase, the Congress is contesting in all 14 seats, BJP has fielded nominees in 11 and its alliance partner JD(S), which joined the National Democratic Alliance in (NDA) in September last year, in three -- Hassan, Mandya and Kolar.
Besides the three, the segments where elections are being held on Friday are: Udupi-Chikmagalur, Dakshina Kannada, Chitradurga, Tumkur, Mysore, Chamarajanagar, Bangalore Rural, Bangalore North, Bangalore Central, Bangalore South and Chikkballapur.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Congress and JD(S), which were in alliance and ruling the state back then, had secured just one seat each in these 14 segments. The BJP had won in 11 and ensured the victory of a party supported independent candidate in Mandya.
Meanwhile, former Prime Minister and JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda along with wife Chennamma exercised their franchise at Paduvalahippe village in Hassan district, while his son and former CM H D Kumaraswamy along with wife Anitha and son Nikhil cast vote at Kethaganahalli in Ramanagara district.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah voted at his native village Siddaramanahundi in Mysuru district.
RSS Sarakaryavah Dattatreya Hosabale cast his ballot at Sheshadripuram in Bengaluru.
Rajya Sabha member and 'Dharmadhikari' of the Dharmasthala, Veerendra Heggade, Vishwaprasanna Teertha Swamiji of the Pejavara Mutt, Shivarathri Deshikendra Mahaswamiji of Sri Suttur Math,and Nirmalanandanatha Mahaswamiji of Adichunchanagiri Mahasamsthana Math, were among the early voters.
Bangalore South MP and candidate Tejasvi Surya, Hassan candidate and MP Prajwal Revanna, also several film personalities including actor Ravichandran, Ashwini Puneeth Rajkumar, Raghavendra Rajkumar, Duniya Vijay and Dhananjay also exercised their democratic right.
According to officials, 101-year-old Narayana Rao and his wife Lakshmi, aged 92, voted in Bengaluru's Padmanabhanagar.
In separate incidents, two brides -- one each from Chikkamagaluru and Madikeri -- dressed in their wedding attire exercised her franchise before reaching the marriage venue in the morning. A groom cast his vote in Chamarajanagar district before rushing to tie the nuptial knot.
