Bengaluru’s Women Safety Crisis: Minister’s Controversial Remarks Spark Outrage

Karnataka’s home minister, G Parameshwara, caused a stir recently by saying that sexual harassment incidents happen often in big cities. This statement came after a video went viral showing a woman being groped in Bengaluru’s BTM layout late at night last week. The video, taken with a CCTV camera, showed two women walking in an alley when a man, who seemed to be following them, suddenly approached, attacked one of them, and then ran away.

The incident happened at around 1:52 am on April 3, and has raised major concerns about women’s safety in the city. Although the women have not reported the case, the Bengaluru police are taking action on their own. They have filed charges against the attacker under a law that punishes anyone who tries to disrobe a woman.

Sexual harassment is a serious issue in Bengaluru. Just this January, a 24-year-old woman was harassed by two men who jumped into her cab as she was getting in. The men first fought with the cab driver, and when the woman tried to escape, one of them grabbed her neck while the other tried to rip her clothes off. She screamed for help, and luckily, the men ran away.

Authorities have promised to increase police patrols to keep women safer in the city and take necessary legal actions against such crimes.