Bengaluru molestation: Hundreds of women march in protest across nation

Hundreds of women gathered in over 30 towns and cities across the country late on Saturday, saying they were "occupying the night streets" to demand safety in public spaces after reports of the mass molestation of women in Bengaluru on New Year's Eve.

In Bengaluru, protesters marched from the City Central Railway Station till Freedom Park. The protesters, accompanied by drummers, chanted slogans like "my body, my right" and "freedom for women".

Senior citizens, students, children, men, women and members of transgender community took part in the protest. It was the first march of its kind in the city after the New Year's Eve incidents.

Bindu Malini, a city-based artist, along with Deepti Sudhindra among others performed at Freedom Park. Passages from “The Vagina Monologues” by author Eve Esler were read and a petition was proposed asking the state government to make public spaces safe for women. “We are angry. There is no denying that we aren't as safe as we need to be. Shockingly, we found out that most of Rs 300 crore set aside for women safety has not been used. Karnataka has not mentioned a single line in the budget about making urban spaces safe for women and that needs to change. It is a long struggle but this is only the beginning. Women need to come out and stand together in the fight," said Tara Krishnaswamy, a member of Citizens for Bengaluru.

Organisers of the 300-strong march said most women have experienced being pinched, groped, molested, or faced lewd comments in public -- from travelling on the bus to shopping in the market to walking in the street. "I have so many stories of being made to feel uncomfortable in public spaces," said Divya Titus, one of the organisers of the Bengaluru march.

"Despite a legislation, we still see sexual harassment. I decided enough is enough. We have to stop normalising these events."

From New Delhi to Kolkata in the east, Chennai in the south and Mumbai in the west, activists, students, and professionals gathered at marches and street plays or sang songs and recited poetry on equality for women. The participants, which also included many men, chanted slogans such as "Freedom, Freedom, Freedom!" and held banners saying "Take back the night. Break the silence. End the violence" and "Nobody asks what my molester was wearing."

"Since the age of 12, I have never felt comfortable or safe on the streets - day or night, but first time I have ever attended a march like this ," said Anuradha Sinha, 37, a program manager at a e-commerce company. "I have a 3-year-old daughter and given the situation we face today in terms of sexual harassment, I don't want my daughter to grow up and endure we have to go through every day. It has to change."

The marches coincided with marches being held around the world following U.S. President Donald Trump's inauguration on Friday, but organisers of the #IWillGoOut campaign said their demands were different from those in other countries. The campaign in India was launched this month after reports of sexual assaults during celebrations on Dec. 31 in Bengaluru, where several women were allegedly groped and assaulted by a mob in the city's central business district.

The state home minister later told television networks "such incidents do happen", while another politician blamed women for following "western culture", dressing inappropriately and staying out late.

The attacks, reminiscent of those blamed on migrants in German cities during New Year's Eve celebrations in 2015, shocked many Indians, since Bengaluru, home to many well-educated professionals, is regarded as safer for women than New Delhi.