'Such things happen in big cities': Karnataka home minister on molestation

BENGALURU: Karnataka home minister G Parameshwara sparked outrage Monday by appearing to make light of safety concerns stoked by an unidentified stalker molesting a woman in Bengaluru's Bharathi Layout, saying that "in a big city like Bengaluru, incidents like this do take place here and there".

Parameshwara's remark came amid a search for a suspect caught on CCTV camera stalking two women, one of whom he held against a wall and allegedly molested at 1.52am on April 3. The home minister said police were working round-the-clock "in rain and cold" to prevent crimes that were "unfortunate", albeit not "uncommon" in a city the size of Karnataka's capital. "I regularly tell the Bengaluru police commissioner (B Dayananda) to ensure patrolling of every area in a disciplined and effective way."

BJP demanded Congress MPs Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra respond to Parameshwara's remark. In Delhi, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla called Karnataka's home minister "a serial offender" when it came to making such statements. "This is a brazen display of a misogynist, patriarchal, sexist and obnoxious mindset," Poonawalla said.

He alleged that crimes against women had spiked 50% in Congress-governed Karnataka and yet the state's home minister was "trivialising serious offences". Police said CCTV footage of the incident was shared by Lokesh Gowda, a businessman. The women told police they didn't want to file a complaint or have their statements recorded.