K’taka Home Minister springs into damage control mode
6 Jan 2017 11:21 PM GMT
Under attack over his controversial remarks on New Year eve molestation here, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Thursday asserted that he was committed to protection of women and suspected a “hidden agenda” behind highlighting the incident.
Parameshwara also said he was extremely pained that his statement on the alleged molestation incident had been interpreted out of context and not taken in its entirety.
“My comments had nothing to do with molestation. Nothing to do with westernised culture. The remarks referred to the incident, it was not about dress or molestation,” he told reporters here.
As horrific incidents of alleged molestation of several women on MG Road and Brigade Road during New Year revelry came to light, triggering a national outrage, Parameshwara had talked about the ‘Western ways’ of youngsters in remarks that came under scathing attack from different quarters.
Speaking to a TV news channel on the issue, Parameshwara had said “Youngsters who are almost like westerners, they try to copy westerners not only in mindset, but even the dressing.”
National Commission for Women Chairperson Lalitha Kumaramangalam had slammed Parameshwara’s remarks, demanding that he resign. NCW, as also Karnataka State Commission for Women, had sought separate reports from the administration and police over the incidents.
Parameshwara said he would reply to the NCW notice.
He would also reply to a notice sent by Delhi Women’s Rights Commission, but not before examining whether any state has the power to send such a notice to a minister of another state.
B’luru molestation case: Attacker was stalking victim; arrested
The Bengaluru police on Thursday arrested four of the 12 persons detained a day earlier in connection with the sexual assault of a woman on New Year’s Day in Kammanahalli in the city.
According to a report in the Indian Express, the main attacker in the case, a man named Leno, has also been arrested.
Leno, a BCom student belongs to the same locality as the woman who was assaulted. The three others arrested in the case are Ayyappa, Raju and Chinnu. According to the police, Ayyappa had waited on a scooter while Leno molested and assaulted the girl on Sunday morning around 2:30 am.
All the accused are residents of east Bengaluru and had interacted with the victim on different occasions, said the report. One of them is a courier delivery person and the other works at a hotel.
The victim, a student hailing from the Northeast, has given her statement to the police, the report said. However, she is yet to lodge a complaint.
The incident was captured on a CCTV camera installed by one of the residents of the locality, who informed the police.
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