Journalism of Courage
Reacting to the incidents of large groups of men molesting women in Bengaluru during New Year celebrations, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara, in a controversial remark on Monday, told ANI that “such incidents do happen on New Year’s eve and Christmas and that they do take a lot of precautions”. According to a Bangalore Mirror report, the city’s most bustling areas of MG Road and Brigade road saw thousands of men mobbing the revellers and groping women in the streets on Saturday night even as a large number of policemen were deployed in the area.
Prakash said that more than 25 CCTVs have been installed on those streets and their footage will be examined.
Bengaluru police had said that all of their forces will be patrolling the city to ensure incident-free celebrations. Even though 1,500 policemen were positioned in the area, unruly men on bikes, cars and on foot, far outnumbered them. The policemen largely remained a spectator and intervened only intermittently as men went about their hooliganism. Some women, according to the report, had to take off their stilettos and run for help.
Meanwhile, Karnataka DGP Om Prakash said culprits will be identified and action will taken against them. Earlier in the day, police had said that there were no official complaints of molestation or harassment. The deadline for New Year celebrations in the city this time were extended till 2 am, reportedly under pressure from some of the commercial establishments, especially the drinking joints in the central division.
