‘It was intentional’: Bengaluru woman recounts harassment on Namma Metro train

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A 25-year-old woman has complained of being inappropriately touched by a fellow passenger during a Namma Metro ride in central Bengaluru. Police have registered a Non-Cognisable Report (NCR) in the case.

The incident happened on Tuesday inside a metro train near the Majestic interchange. The woman was returning home from work at the time.

Police identified the accused as Mutappa, a 55-year-old man. Officers said he was allegedly drunk and kept losing balance inside the train, repeatedly falling against the woman.

The woman objected to his behaviour during the journey and later informed metro security personnel. The complaint was then forwarded to the police. An NCR was registered at the Upparpet Police Station. The man was called in, warned and later released.

In a video statement, the woman said the ride lasted about 15 minutes. She said she was seated between two passengers. When the man sitting next to her got down, another passenger occupied the seat.

She said the new passenger sat very close, leaving her little space. Assuming it was due to crowding, she tried to adjust her position. She said she then felt a hand pressed against her body.

"At first, I thought it could be by mistake," she said. She added that she tried to move again, even if it meant making the woman on her other side uncomfortable. The contact, she said, continued. She alleged that the man also pressed his leg against hers.

"That moment, I realised this is not a mistake. This is intentional," she said, adding, "I was frozen. When I realised that someone was intentionally doing this to me. And I was really angry."

When the train reached her station, she said she stood up and slapped the man, asking him to get up. She later realised that he was also getting down at the same station. She said she slapped him again on the platform.

"Luckily, he was also getting down at the same metro station. So I slapped him again in the metro station. I slapped him so hard that he was literally crying and begging. But above all of this, he was smiling also," she said.

Metro security staff intervened and escorted both individuals. The woman said she insisted on filing a police complaint. At the police station, she was told that the man had been riding the metro for nearly an hour without getting down at any station and that he was intoxicated.

She also expressed anger over what she said the police told her.

"Firstly, how would I know that someone sitting next to me is a person like this? Should I ask every man I meet, 'Are you a predator?'" she said.