Kolkata: In an act of incredible bravery, a female journalist fought back against her molester despite being severely attacked. The perpetrator, a 55-year-old man, molested, assaulted and verbally abused the woman inside a crowded private bus on the night of June 20. It happened near Ultadanga where the accused, identified as Sanjay Basak from Narayanpur, was occupying a seat reserved for women.
After he occupied the seat near Ultadanga and sat next to the journalist, the man began to touch her inappropriately. According to a report by the Times of India, the woman had asked the man several times to sit properly, but he replied with abuses. Moreover, he questioned the morality of the woman since she was returning late at night and he advised her to take a cab. She tried to adjust, but when the discomfort became too big to ignore, she raised an alarm.
The attack of the molester, the fight of the braveheart
The woman’s shouting startled the man. He stood up, and the woman made the bag she was holding onto as the barrier in the seat. Basak threw her bag at her, slapped her, and tugged at her clothes, tearing them. She said, “As I got startled and raised my voice, he slapped me and began tugging at my clothes, which eventually got torn.”
However, her courage was firm in its place. She immediately called the police, told them her ordeal, and was assured of quick help. The police asked her to get down at the Baguiati crossing while sending a team of officers. The woman, with the help of fellow passengers, dragged the perpetrator off the bus. The cops arrived soon after, registered her complaint, and arrested Basak on the spot.
A Bidhannagar City Police officer said, “A case has been registered under BNS sections dealing with molestation, voluntarily causing grievous hurt, criminal intimidation, wrongful restraint, and mischief.” The woman was sent for a medical examination and would record her confidential statement before a magistrate on Monday. Meanwhile, a Barasat court has granted bail to Basak with conditions of a timely appearance before the magistrate and not leaving the city without the permission of the investigating officer.
