Several women molested by unruly revellers on NYE

DCP (Central) Chetan Singh Rathore tries to calm down revellers. DH PHOTO/B H SHIVAKUMAR

A reveller is being taken in an ambulance after he collapsed on MG Road. DH PHOTO/B H SHIVAKUMAR

A civil defence guard was one of several women groped and accosted during the New Year’s Eve celebrations in the city’s party zone in the early hours of Wednesday. However, only one FIR has been lodged as not many women chose to file complaints.

In spite of a large police presence to control the boisterous crowd on MG Road, Brigade Road, Residency Road, Church Street and in Indiranagar and Koramangala, several women faced molestation attempts by drunk revellers. But not every woman caved in. Some of them gave tight slaps to the would-be molesters.

Police arrested at least four alleged molesters.

At 1.16 am, an individual named Shivakumar allegedly groped a woman riding pillion on a male friend’s two-wheeler at the MG Road signal. The woman raised an alarm, drawing a female civil defence guard. But the suspect allegedly misbehaved with the guard, too. DCP (Central) Chetan Singh Rathore, who happened to be on the spot at that time, quickly bundled Shivakumar into a patrol car which then hauled him up to the Ashoknagar police station.

At the Opera House junction, Tamil Nadu native Ateeq was confronted by a woman after he touched her inappropriately. She started beating him with her sandal, drawing policemen who quickly detained him. Two other men, Siddu and Ramu, were arrested when they allegedly misbehaved with women on Brigade Road.

Another woman was allegedly groped in Koramangala 5th Block. A senior police officer rushed to her rescue after she started crying in the middle of the street. Police are checking the CCTV footage to track down her alleged molesters.

Rathore they were questioning the arrested suspects to ascertain if they had a criminal record. Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao promised suitable action against the alleged molesters and urged women to file complaints.

The revelry witnessed other incidents, too. A young girl had to be carried home by friends after she passed out and collapsed on MG Road.

A man high on drugs who collapsed was similarly rescued by his friends. A third youth was found bleeding from the mouth and nose on Residency Road around 12.15 am. Patrolmen found gashes on his nose and took him to a hospital. Rathore said the youth was not in a position to talk and they were waiting for his recovery.