New Year celebrations in Bengaluru took a sordid turn after reports poured in of women being molested and groped in different parts of the city.
Unruly mobs allegedly pawed at women in MG Road, Brigade Road and Church Gate areas. Some women were forced to take off their shoes in order to flee, reported Bangalore Mirror.
In the light of the events, Bengaluru has drawn parallels with Delhi for being a city that is unsafe for women.
Many eye-witnesses recounted the horrors of the night. Some took to social media to share images of the events.
Cops Outnumbered
This year, Bengaluru residents were given an extended 2am deadline for their New Year celebrations.
The eyewitnesses who narrated the horrors of the night said that the police personnel were outnumbered by the hooligans.
While police officials said that additional reserve personnel had been deployed to monitor celebrations in the city, the arrangements appeared to be of no help to the victims.
According to reports, the police have not registered any cases of molestation, despite countless eye-witnesses and photographic evidence.
Nagendra Kumar, deputy commissioner of police, Command Centre, Bengaluru told the daily that he did not receive any distress calls about the alleged crimes against women. "We got around 450 calls at the city control room when on Saturday night, especially after 10 pm till wee hours in the morning, and not even one was about women being assaulted or molested," he said.
I had not taken charge as commissioner till 1 January. Also, there is not a single complaint so what can I comment.Praveen Sood, Bangalore police commissioner
According to Bangalore Mirror, the traffic police booked 461 cases of drunken driving in the city on New Year's Eve. Riders could be seen openly accosting women on the street. The 108 ambulance service attended as many as 471 emergency calls from Bengaluru city.
The incident has drawn severe criticism from all quarters, with many raising concerns about women's safety.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara has called the incident unfortunate. “Had installed more than 25 CCTVs, will examine,” he told ANI.
(With inputs from Bangalore Mirror and NEWS18.COM )
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