A CCTV video of a woman being groped in Bengaluru's Suddaguntepalya triggered outrage across the city. But what followed shocked many even more — Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara dismissed the incident, saying “molestation happens here and there in big cities.”
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00:00This comment by Karnataka's Home Minister came after a disturbing incident on 3rd April
00:102025 in Bengaluru. CCTV footage showed a man cornering two women walking down a narrow
00:15lane. He shoved one of them against a wall and groped her. All caught on camera. The
00:19man fled the scene. The women, visibly shaken, walked away. Bengaluru police registered a
00:24Suomoto case against Section 354B, assault with intent to disrobe a woman. But this isn't
00:30an isolated case. Back in August 2023, another woman in Bengaluru was assaulted during a
00:35morning walk. The attacker, a cab driver, was arrested two days later. And these aren't
00:40just one-offs. According to government data, crimes against women in Bengaluru surged in
00:452023, with 3,260 cases reported. Out of these, 1,135 were related to molestation.
00:52So, how are leaders responding to this rise? With dismissiveness. In January 2025,
00:57Chief Minister Siddharth Amaya faced backlash after a gang rape case near K.R. Market,
01:02Bengaluru. A 37-year-old woman had accused two men of rape and robbery. Instead of strongly
01:07condemning the crime, the CM said, have there been no rapes during the BJP tenure? He added,
01:12rapes shouldn't happen, but in society there are always bad elements.
01:16And this pattern goes back years. In 2017, G. Parmeswara was criticised for blaming
01:21women's clothing after alleged mass molestations on New Year's Eve in Bengaluru. Instead of
01:26acknowledging police failure, he said, unfortunate incidents were due to women dressing like
01:30westerners. No apology, no accountability. The minister is responsible for policing in Karnataka
01:36and is now brushing off the assault as something that just happens here and there.