#MeToo movement against eve-teasing picks up in Mysuru

MYSURU: Girls and women in the city are coming out in large numbers sharing their experiences of being eve-teased and harassed on the streets of Mysuru. A movement on the lines of #MeToo has picked up in the city where several young girls and women have started to share the agony they underwent at major public places and streets in Mysuru over the last several days, on their social media profiles, demanding the authorities to take action against eve-teasers.

It all started when a student pursuing B.Sc at a city college sent a message to 'Mysuru Memes', a social media page from her brother's account narrating how several boys standing in front of their hostel were harassing and misbehaving with girls flashing their private parts. She sought help and appealed to bring the issue to the notice of the authorities concerned.

Following this, DCP Dr Prakash Gowda sent the jurisdictional police inspector and staff to the hostel assuring them action against the culprits.

After this episode, many young girls and women since Monday have come forward narrating similar experiences on their social media accounts demanding the police to take stringent action against such miscreants.

"After the post went viral, many girls shared similar stories on our inbox. At least ten girls shared similar instances where they were harassed by several unknown boys in public places. We have decided to pass the information that we receive to the concerned department and appeal to authorities to take strict action against the culprits," said Sumanth C V, Admin of Mysuru Memes.

A few organisations and individuals have also started submitting a memorandum to the police after the incident. A delegation of ABVP led by city secretary Prajna Kashyap called on DCP (Crime and Traffic) Geetha Prasanna and submitted a memorandum to ensure the safety of girls who are harassed on daily basis.

A senior police official said when they experience such harassment they must feel free to alert us or immediately pass the information to '112'.

"We will ensure that culprits are caught and are booked for insulting the modesty of women and other relevant IPC sections," he said.