‘No Evidence’ of New Year Mass Sex Attacks in Bangalore: Police

The police commissioner of the southern Indian city of Bangalore has said there is no evidence to prove allegations of mass molestation took place on New Year’s Eve in the centre of the city.

Praveen Sood told the BBC that police officers had reviewed footage from almost 70 CCTV cameras.

On Wednesday police said they had detained six people.

But Mr Sood said the detentions were in connection with an incident in a different part of the city.

He said police had responded to footage brought to their attention by a member of the public who said a woman had been attacked by two men on a motorbike near his home.

“We had a look at it. We saw it was quite a clear case of serious molestation. We didn’t wait, we didn’t even bother with whom the victim is. We didn’t ask her, we wanted to protect her identity. We have registered a criminal case,” he said.

• ‘I believed Bangalore was safe’

• India anger as minister blames ‘Western’ behaviour

• #NotAllMen angers Indian women

But, Mr Sood said, the alleged “sex attacks” in the centre of Bangalore never took place. The incidents allegedly occurred as a crowd of 10,000 people gathered there to see in the New Year on Saturday evening.

He said the footage being used by the media to make allegations of mass molestation was actually that of the melee that had resulted from a baton charge by police who were trying to disperse the crowds.

“People ran, there were a lot of girls there. There was panic, there was a melee, they got separated, they were crying… so that 30 seconds of confusion is being projected as a mass molestation. I categorically say that nothing of that sort has happened,” he said.

Several women have described being surrounded by mobs of men and being groped.

Image captionWomen in the square have talked about being grabbed and hassled by men at the celebrations

Mr Sood added that despite a public appeal, no one had come forward to record a complaint of molestation or harassment.

He said, however, that he had seen some women telling the media that they were touched inappropriately and that the police were ready to treat those statements as complaints and begin an investigation.

One woman, a marketing professional who asked to be identified only as Pooja, told the BBC that she was assaulted both in the bar and as she walked to meet a friend.

Even when she formed a circle with another group of girls to try and walk to safety, “there were guys who were trying to touch here and there”, she said.

“There was not a single face you could make out or who was doing it,” she said, pointing out how difficult it would be to file a complaint.

Courtesy : BBC