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A day after a disturbing CCTV video of a man groping a woman on a Bengaluru street surfaced online, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara’s remark calling the incident something that “happens in a big city” has triggered widespread outrage.
The video, which shows a man stalking two women in Bengaluru’s BTM Layout area and groping one of them before fleeing, has gone viral on social media. The women appear shocked and walk away from the scene without reacting, possibly out of fear.
Speaking to the media, Parameshwara said that he regularly instructs the police to improve patrolling across the city but added that such incidents are inevitable in a large metropolitan area like Bengaluru.
“I keep telling the police commissioner daily to be careful, to monitor all areas through patrolling. This is something I say almost every day. When some incidents happen here and there, of course people’s attention will be drawn towards them. In such a big city, such incidents will happen. We will take necessary action according to the law,” he said.
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The remark drew sharp criticism from the opposition BJP and women’s rights groups, who accused the minister of making an insensitive statement and downplaying the seriousness of the crime.
BJP spokesperson Prashanth G slammed the Home Minister’s response.
“This is such an insensitive remark. Is he normalising sexual assault and crimes against women? He is shying away from responsibility and doesn’t want to be accountable,” he said.
BJP leaders also targeted the Congress-led state government, claiming that Bengaluru is becoming increasingly unsafe for women under its administration.
Meanwhile, the police have registered a case under sections related to assault, sexual harassment, and stalking. However, they have not been able to identify the victim, as no complaint has been filed yet. Authorities have urged the woman or any eyewitnesses to come forward.
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