Bengaluru 3rd among Indian cities in molestation cases

BENGALURU: Neetu (name changed) had come from Mumbai to Bengaluru on an official tour. Post work, she decided to visit the famed pubs on MG Road she had read about. After checking out a couple of them, she chose to return to hotel as she had to catch an early-morning flight.
Suddenly, she sensed a movement behind her and saw two men walking close to her. One touched her, the other passed lewd comments as they brushed past her. Neetu raised an alarm. Soon a crowd gathered. Police arrived and arrested the men.

Shocked, Neetu wondered how could it happen in a tony shopping area of the city.

Bengaluru reported the third highest attacks -718 -against women with an intent to outrage their modesty among 53 Indian cities, according to the National Crime Records Bureau statistics for 2015.

Women's vulnerability in Bengaluru stands in sharp contrast to the statewide statistics. Karnataka stands fifth -5,112 cases -among states and Union Territories in the incidence of crime under this category .Delhi, with 4,563 cases, and Mumbai, with 2,008, are ranked first and second.

Women are under attack in public places. They are sexually targeted on streets, office, public transport, entertainment places and education institutions. Bengaluru police say the statistics show more and more women are coming forward to report such incidents.

Police commissioner NS Megharikh says women are coming forward to complain against mischief-mongers. Women victims from mega cities are using social media to approach police. It helps them in two ways: They can avoid visiting a police station and file a complaint without losing time,“ he said.

A 24-year-old private com pany employee was raped allegedly by a thief in her south Bengaluru paying guest accommodation recently . As the survivor remained trauma tized, her friend sent a WhatsApp message to the deputy commissioner of police, seeking his intervention in filing the complaint.

Incidentally , assault on women with intent to outrage their modesty (IPC Section 354) and insult to modesty of women (Section 509) together top the chart when it comes to crimes committed against women in the country . This indicates the threat faced by women outside their domestic spheres. They accounted for 91,107 cases in 2015, according to NCRB statistics.

In all, there are 2,91,247 pending cases of `outraging modesty of women' in courts across the country , and 66,887 of them were registered in 2015. Of these, victims in 60,875 cases were sexually assaulted. When it comes to women facing sexual harassment at the workplace and office, 2,458 victims were subjected to sexual harassment.

In 261 incidents, the women were victimized in office, while 1,797 women were targeted at their workplace.While travelling in public transport, 661 women faced sexual harassment and filed complaints, records say.

TIMES VIEW

No country for women is a clichéd headline, but we must not fail to grasp its essence and import. Year after year, the number of crimes against women is on a frightening ascent in the country. Sift the statistics, and we realize that every inch of space -public transport, workplace or home -is unsafe for women. The numbers also tell the story of how the patriarchy's smug outlook hasn't helped matters in checking cases.

More and more women coming out to report sexual assault cases also means awareness has reached a new level. By accelerating trial in sexual assault cases, governments must send a strong message to offenders.