A disturbing sexual harassment incident emerged from Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar district on Monday, which has triggered an uproar, after a woman who faced an appalling act at the hands of a fellow traveller confronted and slapped him repeatedly. The video gained traction on social media quickly.

The incident was reported from Sagar’s Deori bus stand, where a man allegedly unzipped his trousers to harass a woman inside a stationary bus. After the video went viral, the cops detained the accused, identified as Nitish Gond, and launched a probe. However, no complaint has been lodged in connection with the incident so far.

Woman confronts accused after the obscene act

According to reports, two young women were seated inside a bus parked at the Deori bus stand when the accused allegedly approached one of them. He stood close to the female in an uncomfortable manner and allegedly unzipped his trousers before attempting to expose himself despite other passengers being present inside the bus.

The female first tried to move away from the accused. However, when he allegedly continued the appalling behaviour, she confronted him and retaliated by slapping him several times. The incident was captured on the CCTV camera installed inside the bus, and its footage surfaced online recently. The confrontation was captured on the CCTV footage, and sparked panic among passengers, following which the accused fled from the bus.

Cops detain accused, attempts being made to verify viral footage

After the video began making rounds on social media, police traced and detained the accused, Nitish Gond for interrogation. Officials familiar with the incident said no written complaint has been received so far from the woman who was subjected to harassment, or from any other person.

Owing to the same, police said only preventive action has been initiated at this stage. The development has sparked debate, with several people questioning whether strong legal proceedings should have been initiated on the basis of the video evidence. Newly appointed Sub-divisional Officer of Police (SDOP), Arun Uikey said authorities are examining the CCTV footage to verify the location, date and sequence of events. He added that the cops are also trying to identify the woman spotted in the video and record her statements.

Meanwhile, the footage is being subjected to technical analysis too, to establish its authenticity and gather more evidence.

Cop promises strict action

SDOP Uikey said that if the probe establishes the commission of a cognisable offence, strict legal action shall be taken in accordance with the law. Police officials said a probe into the incident is underway, and further action shall depend on its findings.