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Kochi woman dressed for Onam records man constantly ‘looking at her chest’ inside bus in Kerala
A video shared by a woman dressed for Onam about a man allegedly harassing her has sparked outrage on social media.
A video showing a man allegedly looking at a woman’s chest sitting beside him has sparked outrage on social media. The woman who took the bus dressed in a saree for Onam shared the video on Instagram, saying that her video shows that “dress is never part of the problem.”
What does the video show?
In the video, she is seen wearing a traditional white and golden Kerala saree teamed with a red blouse. The video shows a man sitting beside her constantly looking at her. At one point, she stares back at him, though he removes his gaze momentarily, but he starts looking again as soon as she moves her head. HT.com has not independently verified the claims in the video.
Later, she posted another video sharing her side of the story. She said, "I posted a video yesterday of an aged man — around my father’s age — who was staring at me in a weird way on a bus when I was coming back from an Onam event. The video got a lot of reach and I see many comments. About 80% are supporting me, while 20% are supporting him and blaming my dressing.”
Talking about what she was wearing, she said she was returning from an Onam function and wearing a Kerala saree. She claimed she confronted the man and even filed a complaint against him.
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Social media is furious:
An individual posted, “This proves… dress doesn't matter.” Another added, “I honestly can’t believe some boys are still defending this old creep. That’s not maturity, that’s pure ignorance. Not every girl reacts the same way when something like this happens; some people may freeze, some people may respond differently. She had the courage to record it and expose him so others know men like this are still out here. Next time, if he tries this again, people will recognise him. And if his friends or family see this, they’ll know his true character. So stop judging her reaction. She did the smart thing by exposing him. She already said she reacted, and that’s when he got up and left the bus.”
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A third expressed a similar notion: "Some people are arguing that he is looking at the phone. No, he’s not looking at the phone. Watch closely, you can see when he glances at the phone and when he shifts his eyes back at her. The angles are different, and what he’s really trying to do is obvious. Stop defending, perverts don’t deserve excuses!”
A fourth wrote, “Oh God… this is so uncomfortable… Why are you wearing a saree blouse? Wear a straitjacket instead. Oh, sorry, you are a woman, men will still molest you.”
(HT.com has contacted the woman who shared the video. This report will be updated when she responds.)
