After the New Year’s Eve molestation incident in Bengaluru and the subsequent uproar over it, the city’s police commissioner on Thursday made a tall claim - that they did not find evidence for “any kind of molestation” from the 60-odd CCTV cameras installed in the city, as Indian Express reported.
On 2 January, one of the newspapers raised this issue with still photographs, blurred photographs. We had to take it very seriously. We could not ignore it. At the same time, we cannot imagine things. We started looking into the whole video footage from approximately 55 to 60 cameras.Praveen Sood, Commissioner of Police
Sood who took charge on 1 January also said, “These videos were also sourced by the media from the police. We could not find any kind of molestation.’’
He also said that based on media reports, four separate cases were registered. Four youths have also been arrested on charges of sexually assaulting a Northeastern woman.
The police claimed that the photographs of women crying on the shoulders of the police were not linked with the “mass molestation” but were reactionary, given the stampede and subsequent lathicharge done to control the crowds.
Sood questioned why the mediapersons did not bring the incidents of mass molestation to his notice the day he took charge and interacted with reporters.
A photographer alleged on social media how she was molested and in turn, she trashed the offender on which Sood said “One of the ladies went on social media and wrote all sort of things about what happened to her. We have taken it as the gospel truth. We have no reason to disbelieve her. We have been trying to contact her for the last two days. We could not succeed. Finally we have taken up a suo motu case based on her statements in a television studio and on social media.’’
One of the cases registered at Cubbon Park Police Station was lodged on the basis of the woman’s statement to the media, where she alleged she along with her family was harassed.
Another case was registered at the same police station on the basis of a woman’s account of the harassment she and her friends faced. The fourth case was registered at Ashoknagar based on a man’s testimony of how he and two bouncers helped a few girls who were being harassed.
Source: Indian Express.
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