COIMBATORE: A 55-year-old woman working as an associate professor at a private college lodged a complaint against a group of youths, who allegedly physically assaulted her and snatched her belongings at Brooke Bond Road on Thursday night.
The victim posted a video on social media, showing the suspects claiming they had harassed her in public view.
After her post went viral on social media, the police initiated a probe and registered an FIR.
The RS Puram police have booked a case under sections 294(b) (uttering obscene words), 126(2) (wrongful restraint), 351(2) (criminal intimidation) of the BNS Act and Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harrassment of Women (TNPHW) Act. Further investigation is under way, police said.
According to police sources, the victim, Maya Mahajan, resides near Vadavalli.
On Thursday evening, she went to a mall on Brooke Bond Road and parked her car at the roadside in front of the mall.
Around 9.30 pm, when she returned to her car, a group of youth, allegedly intoxicated, blocked her and claimed that her car had scratched their car and also abused her.
"Though I explained that my car did not touch their car, they continued to bang on my car for around 30 minutes, till 10 pm. When I reached a square nearby, they blocked the car and asked me to get out and shouted. When I asked to go to the police station, they started abusing me. When I started to record their activities on my mobile phone, they snatched the mobile and my car key. They then threw away my mobile phone and physically assaulted me. Unable to bear the pain, I again started recording them and posted a video on social media, seeking help to identify them. I then approached the police at night and lodged a complaint along with the videos," she said.
In the videos, Mahajan shows the suspects and raises questions about women’s safety. Police then initiated an investigation on Friday.
"I never expected such an assault. I was alone in that situation. However, the police acted swiftly on my complaint and detained the people involved in the act. I am determined to file a complaint so that such an incident would not happen with any other woman in the city," Mahajan added.
Police sources said they have only registered an FIR, and no one has been arrested.