After the CCTV footage of a woman being molested in Bengaluru went viral, one such incident has come to light in Hyderabad.
Two accused under the influence of alcohol tried to molest a woman on New Year's Eve, but she managed to escape and filed a case the next day.
“The accused have been identified as Upendra and Suresh. They were booked under Hyderabad City Police Act under Section 70 (C) for eve-teasing.
After the complaint was lodged, we went to the locality and found a CCTV camera. Watching that, we identified the accused. Soon we filed a charge sheet before the court under the e-petty cases. After verifying the footage, the court awarded them a three-day jail term,” said Mohammed Waheeduddin, inspector at SR Nagar Police Station.
Under the e-petty initiative, police officials use a tablet to proceed with the case instead of going through the usual paperwork in order to fast-track the process.
Another case of molestation came to light, when a school teacher allegedly molested a 12-year-old student.
The incident took place on December 30, 2016, when Raja Rao, a resident of Amberpet and English teacher in Zilla Parishad High School in Shapur Nagar near Jeedimetla, had reportedly touched the girl’s private parts.
Suspicious about the girl refusing to go to school, the father questioned her. After the girl narrated the incident, her father lodged a complaint against the teacher in Jeedimetla police station on Thursday.
“We are yet to arrest him, but a complaint has been registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. After the father registered a case, a few other parents also approached us with similar incidents against Raja Rao” said Naik, sub-inspector of Jeedimetla police station.
A 2015 report said that cases of crime against women in Hyderabad have increased by 8% in 2015 as compared to 2014. The total cases of crimes against women were reported to be 2,518 in 2015 as against 2,335 recorded in 2014.
Several cases also go unreported with the women refusing to lodge a complaint due to social stigma and fearing society.
Shahnaz, a B.Tech student was traveling with her friends at night on New Year's eve to Begumpet. “Some roadside guys were drunk and passed comments on us, we called our male friends to pick us up,” she said.
She also says she has faced harassment several times while traveling by bus.
“I used to travel daily by bus, but two times it happened that some guys pushed and touched me inappropriately. The bus was packed so I could hardly recognise who that person was. But now when I see packed buses I don’t get in. Sometimes we book cabs with friends to go to places, it is safer,” she said.
Similar is the case with Divya, who is working in a private bank. She has been harassed several times for wearing short clothes while going to pubs and malls.
“Whenever I go out for a party, I prefer going with a group of 10 people, including boys. I had a bad experience once when I went out for a party. A guy started talking to me and when I clearly told him that I am not interested, he held my hand and tried to kiss me. Some of my friends and pub management people helped me.”
To avoid such incidents, she stayed back at her friend’s place on New Year’s Eve.
“It is sad that I have to change my plans for my own safety. Though you are working and independent, there is some unwritten restriction,” she added.
Geetika, who was working in an IT company, had been stalked by one of her colleagues once. Later, her friends and other colleagues confronted the man.
“I had to change my house because of that. Honestly, I thought once of filing a complaint, but then I was afraid if my parents and society comes to know, they will blame me for wearing short clothes and coming home late. My mother had already once told me, that I have many male friends and that can give a bad message to other people who see me,” she said.