BENGALURU 8 APRIL,2025
Karnataka home minister G Parameshwara came under attack on Monday for apparently trivialising security concerns following a case where an unknown stalker harassed a woman in Bengaluru's Bharathi Layout.
He said that "in a big city like Bengaluru, incidents like this do happen from time to time."
His remark was made in the course of the hunt for a suspect who appeared on CCTV tailing two women, one of whom he allegedly molested against a wall at 1:52 AM on April 3. Parameshwara said the police were working day and night "in rain and cold" to stop such "unfortunate" crimes, which he said are not "uncommon" in a big city like Karnataka's capital.
He further stated that he often advises the Bengaluru police commissioner (B Dayananda) to make efficient and disciplined patrols in all parts.
The BJP requested Congress leaders to react to Parameshwara's statement. In Delhi, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla called the home minister "a serial offender" for such a statement. He criticized the statement as a classic example of a sexist and misogynistic attitude. Poonawalla further alleged that women's crimes had gone up by 50% in Congress-ruled Karnataka, while the home minister was "underplaying serious crimes."
The police said that CCTV footage of the incident was shared by businessman Lokesh Gowda, and the women said they did not want to file a complaint or give their statements.
