‘Such incidents happen in big cities’: Karnataka Home Minister on Bengaluru groping incident

A man sexually harassed a woman in Bengaluru's BTM Layout, captured on CCTV. The police have registered an FIR under several sections of the law.

A disturbing incident of sexual harassment caught on CCTV in Bengaluru’s BTM Layout has sparked outrage on social media, prompting a response from Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara.

Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara.

According to news agency ANI, the minister said, “Incidents like these tend to happen here and there in a big city like this. Whatever legal action needs to be taken will be done in accordance with the law. I have also instructed our commissioner to increase beat patrolling.”

The incident reportedly took place in the early hours of April 3 around 1.52 am, according to the timestamp on the CCTV footage. The video, which has since gone viral, shows two women walking through a narrow alleyway when an unidentified man, seemingly trailing them, suddenly corners and gropes one of them before fleeing the scene.

The women are seen walking away, visibly shaken by the assault.

According to a report by Deccan Herald, the police are yet to identify both the victims and the suspect involved in the incident.

In the meantime, the Suddaguntepalya police have registered an FIR under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 74 (assault or use of criminal force on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 75 (sexual harassment), and 78 (stalking).

In Another incident, a 30-year-old badminton coach in Bengaluru has been arrested for allegedly raping a 16-year-old student under the pretext of offering extra training sessions.

The abuse came to light after the teenager’s grandmother discovered an explicit photo on her phone, prompting a police investigation.

A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.