Woman pinned down, bitten on lips; another molested in B’luru

HT, 7 January 2017, BENGALURU: Two women were allegedly molested in two separate incidents in Bengaluru this week, police said on Saturday, sending shockwaves through the city reeling under a spate of similar allegations in the new year.

In the first incident, CCTV footage caught a woman moving towards a bus stop on a deserted road and being followed by a man who, after a short while, walked away nonchalantly.

Media reports said the woman was allegedly molested, pinned down and bitten on her lips and tongue. TV channels showed the woman with injuries on her lips, tongue, hand and toes, reportedly sustained from trying to resist the attack.

According to police, the molester escaped from the scene when street dogs started barking, fearing people from nearby houses may come out. The woman was taken to a hospital for treatment.

In the second incident, news agency ANI reported that a woman was allegedly molested by two men while going to gym last Wednesday.

A case was registered section 354 of the Indian Penal Code – intending to outrage a woman’s modesty.

The incident comes on the heels of another video that surfaced this week, showing two scooter-borne men lunge for a woman, grope and assault her near her house in Kammanahalli, also on January 1. Four people were arrested in connection with the case on Thursday.

Another incident of mass molestation was reported from the city’s Brigade Road area on New Year’s Eve.

The successive allegations of assault have caused uproar on social media, with several celebrities -- such as cricketer Virat Kohli and actors Akshay Kumar and Aamir Khan -- condemning the violence against women.

Police have been investigating to determine cases of alleged molestation on the night of December 31 on M G Road and Brigade Road. Media reports said several women were groped while lewd remarks were passed by miscreants, despite the presence of 1,500 police personnel to control the unruly revellers.

However, police say they are yet to find any evidence from the security footage from the area.