Two bikers were harassed on Bengaluru’s NICE Road by a man and his son, who claimed that the two were encroaching their property. The bikers, Sharon Samuel and Priyanka Prasad, were heading home after a bike rally on Sunday, March 5, when the incident occurred. The son, identified as Manjunath, was booked by the Konanakunte police after the women filed a complaint accusing him of harassment.
The incident occurred near the Bannerghatta exit of the NICE Road when Priyanka and Sharon stopped on the roadside to get some water. They heard an elderly man who lived across the street shouting at them using expletive language. Soon, the man’s son crossed the busy road and approached the two women. In a video posted by Priyanka, the man is heard saying that he is an advocate and asked the two women to leave.
When they replied that they had stopped to drink water, he threatened them saying that they were blocking the property’s gate, even though it was across the street. He continued to argue with the two women despite their attempts to convey that the road is a public space. In the video, the man is also seen snatching the keys from Sharon’s bike and taking pictures of both of their vehicles.
"For 45 minutes we stood in the sun. He went back to the house and was walking around with a big stick in his hand. We felt so threatened and helpless. After trying the police control room several times, a Hoysala car came to help us," Priyanka said in the video. In another video, Priyanka said that they were made to wait for over seven hours before an FIR was filed by the police.
Based on the women’s complaint, the Konanakunte police registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Manjunath. He has been charged with sections 506 (criminal intimidation), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), and 354 (assault or force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).