Social media influencer exposes public harassment at Gurugram

On the morning of August 3, a young woman, an Instagram influencer with approximately 38,700 followers, faced a distressing ordeal at Rajiv Chowk on the Delhi-Jaipur highway in Gurugram. Having returned from a work trip in Jaipur, she was waiting for a cab to take her home when she noticed an unidentified man behaving inappropriately. The man, wearing a mask, allegedly unzipped his trousers and began masturbating while staring at her, leaving her shocked and disgusted.

“I initially tried to ignore him,” the woman recounted, “but his actions became increasingly obscene. I felt compelled to record a video of the incident.” Out of anger and fear, she captured evidence of the man’s behaviour and later shared it on the social media platform X, tagging the Gurugram police, government officials and women’s welfare organisations to demand action.

Despite her efforts to seek help, the response was disheartening. The woman alleged her calls to the women’s helpline number 1090 went unanswered and when she contacted the police, she was told to visit the Civil Lines police station in person to file a complaint, rather than being offered an online option. Frustrated, she also noted her booked cab driver failed to answer her calls, forcing her to arrange another ride to escape the situation safely.

In her social media post, the woman said her intention was not to gain attention but to highlight the lack of immediate action from authorities and question the safety measures promoted by cab companies. “Why do cab drivers accept bookings if they don’t respond to calls? Why has no action been taken by the government in this matter?” she wrote, expressing her anguish.

The Gurugram police eventually registered a First Information Report (FIR) under Sections 75(2) (sexual harassment) and 78 (stalking) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at the Civil Lines police station. “An FIR was lodged as soon as we received the complaint,” said Inspector Krishan Kumar, the Station House Officer (SHO). “We are conducting raids to apprehend the accused and the woman has been asked to join the investigation.”

A police spokesperson said a probe is underway and the accused would be arrested soon. The incident has sparked discussions about women’s safety in public spaces and the responsiveness of authorities to such complaints.