Sanya Malhotra recalls being eve-teased in Delhi metro during college days: ‘There were 4-5 boys…’

Sanya Malhotra talks about being eve-teased as a college girl and adds that she is not safe from such incidences even as an actor.

Sanya Malhotra has revealed she was eve-teased during her college days in the Delhi metro. She also recalled how she felt helpless as no one in the metro helped her at all. ()

Sanya Malhotra talks about incidences of eve-teasing that she has faced. (PTI)

Asked if she had restrictions growing up, Sanya said in a new interview that when in Delhi, one tends to be careful and ensure one is safe, even if there are no restrictions imposed. She also said boys would often follow and eve-tease her if she returned from college late, around 7 or 8 pm.

She then recalled one particular incident that made her feel helpless and told Hauterrfly, “There was this one time when I took the metro from Green Park station and I was all alone. There were 4-5 boys, and I got a vibe that something is going to go wrong. I was like, ‘I cannot escape this, something wrong will certainly happen.’ Then they started teasing and touching. Usme kitna bhi gussa kar lo na to..kuch nahi hota (No matter how angry you get, nothing helps). I felt very helpless. We say 'Why did you just listen to it all and not respond or do something?' Situation aati hai haath pair fool jaate hain you feel like yaha se bas safe nikalna hai (When the situation arises, you go numb and only think of escaping to a safe space).”

She added that she kept telling herself to not cry and fight back but all she could do was think of running away. “Then I got out at Rajiv Chowk and they started following. Thankfully, the crowd at Rajiv Chowk metro station is huge and they got lost. Then I called my father and asked him to come pick me up. i felt helpless at the time but I am not ashamed of it. It was not my fault. Took me time to realise that taking the metro was not my fault, could have happened in a taxi or auto as well.”

Sanya then recalled how she learned to drive by the third year of her graduation but people would still follow her car. She used to cover her face while driving and said that the constant fear was very scary.

She also revealed that even as an actor, she once had a man touching her behind when he came up to her for a picture. She was getting her pictures clicked with fans when one of them put her hand on her butt and she felt weird that none of the photographers said anything, even though they could see that he made her uncomfortable.

Sanya Malhotra's recent film

Sanya's recent outing, Netflix original Kathal is now streaming online. Directed by Yashowardhan Mishra, Kathal: A Jackfruit Mystery is the story of the investigation that goes into the theft of two prized jackfruits from the garden of a local politician in a small town of Madhya Pradesh. Sanya plays the cop leading the investigation.