Noida woman claims sexual harassment in park, police lodge FIR

Noida: Noida police registered a case of sexual harassment, assault, and disrobing against an unidentified accused on Saturday after a video of a woman, alleging sexual harassment in Sector 48 and police inaction, went viral on social media platforms, officer said on Sunday

Noida:

In a separate incident, a 70-year-old man was booked for allegedly sexually harassing a 50-year-old Faridabad-based woman in Phase 3, Noida, in April. (Representative image)

Noida police registered a case of sexual harassment, assault, and disrobing against an unidentified accused on Saturday after a video of a woman, alleging sexual harassment in Sector 48 and police inaction, went viral on social media platforms, officer said on Sunday.

Police said that the incident allegedly took place on July 31 evening and efforts are on to identify the accused.

“I was sexually assaulted in Noida Sector 48 as I stepped out of my home to get drenched in rain. I was in a park when a stranger approached and sexually harassed me. He fled after two girls came near the spot. It was such a scary moment and I visited the police station. But they indirectly questioned why I went out to get drenched. Police did not help me, so I returned,” she said in a 1.28-minute video that went viral on social media platforms on Sunday.

HT could not verify the authenticity of the video.

However, officers said that her description of events involves some contradictions.The woman claims to be a digital creator, and has thousands of followers on social media.

Police said that the woman hails from Kolkata, West Bengal, and here she resides in a society.

“The survivor, aged around 25, works as an architect and resides at a rented accommodation. The incident occurred on July 31, and a case under sections 74 (intent to outrage modesty) and 76 (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was registered against an unidentified accused at Sector 49 police station,” said Manish Kuma Mishra, additional deputy commissioner of police (ADCP), Noida.

But in her FIR, she said it happened while she was on her way back home from the office.

“On July 31, when I was returning home from office during rain by foot, a man wearing a white shirt approached me inside a park and pushed me from behind. The man tore my clothes and sexually harassed me. When he spotted two girls were about to approach the park’s gate, he escaped,” reads the FIR.

“With the help of CCTV camera footage installed near the spot, efforts are on to identify the accused. Prima facie, it is suspected that the accused resides somewhere close to the spot. As the woman’s statements are also contradictory, we are facing difficulty in the sequence of the incident and identifying the accused,” the ADCP said.

In a separate incident, a 70-year-old man was booked for allegedly sexually harassing a 50-year-old Faridabad-based woman in Phase 3, Noida, in April, said police on Sunday, adding that a case under Section 354 (sexual harassment) of the Indian Penal Code was registered at the Phase 3 police station on Saturday.

“Survivor, a resident of Faridabad, stated in her complaint that during April 19 to 22, when she was in Noida’s Phase 3 area to attend a marriage function, a relative, aged around 70, passed obscene gestures and sexually harassed her,” police said.

She had filed a complaint with police in Faridabad.

“As the incident occurred under the jurisdiction of Phase 3 police station, the case diary was transferred here. A sexual harassment case was registered on Sunday,” said Raj Kumar Singh, station house officer, Phase 3, adding further investigation is underway.