Bengaluru groping incident: Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara has been facing backlash for what many are calling “insensitive” remarks about the recent sexual assault incident in Bengaluru where one woman was assaulted on the streets after being followed. Parameshwara, while talking to the reporters on Monday, appeared to shrug off the incident saying that “such things do take place once in a while in such a large city”.
He added that he is in regular contact with the Bengaluru Police commissioner and has directed police to take measures to prevent such incidents in the future.
“Beats should be more effective, monitoring should be done, and there must be regular patrolling, we tell every day. But when such isolated incidents happen, they attract people’s attention. Do we just let it slide?” asked the minister.
He added, “But such incidents do take place once in a while in such a large city. For that, we will take action as per law.”
VIDEO | Bengaluru woman molestation case: Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara speaks to the media.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) April 7, 2025
According to police, two women were walking in the Bharathi Layout in the wee hours of April 3 when a man approached them and pushed one of them against the wall and molested… pic.twitter.com/pgb71WoCaU
Bengaluru sexual assault incident
The minister’s comment came just a day after a disturbing video of the incident went viral. The CCTV footage shows a man following two women in Bengaluru’s BTM Layout at around 1:55 am on April 3. The accused then gropes one of them before fleeing. A case has since been registered by Suddaguntepalya police under sections 74 (molestation), 75 (sexual harassment) and 78 (stalking).
“A person had put the video on social media. Taking cognisance of the video, we have registered a case. We have identified the person who had posted the video online. We have also spoken to the victim and built confidence in them. The accused will be nabbed soon,” Sarah Fathima, DCP South East Bengaluru, said.
She added, “The video is not very clear, and this is why we are taking time to identify him (the accused). Five teams on the ground are working on the case.”
BJP slams Karnataka Home Minister
Display of the most shocking misogynistic, patriarchal, sexist and obnoxious mindset. The Home Minister of Karnataka has trivialised the incident that has shaken the conscience of the nation and particularly the people of Karnataka and Bengaluru, particularly the women. Today, we have come across such a statement from the Home Minister of Karnataka, which has made us feel embarrassed and ashamed of ourselves… Three to four days have lapsed since the shocking incident took place, but the Karnataka Police have been unable to catch the accused,” said BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla.
He added, “…it appears that he stands by the molester. The state home minister says that such small incidents happen in big cities…If he lived in the Mahabharata period, he would have said that what happened to Draupadi ji was a small incident. But for the Congress party, an attack on the respect of women is a small incident….”
Poonawalla also reminded people that this wasn’t Parameshwara’s first controversial comment on women’s safety. “When mass molestation incidents occurred during the 2017 New Year’s event, at the time, also, G Parmeshwar said that this was a small incident….Today, Congress has appointed such a person as home minister again. Again, he’s showing the same mindset…”