Published Jul 10, 2025 | 4:54 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 10, 2025 | 4:54 PM
Curiously, at the national level, the Congress has opposed the Centre’s labour codes, calling them anti-labour.
Synopsis: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has condemned recent incidents of voyeuristic videos of women filmed in public spaces and circulated online, calling them a violation of dignity. His remarks came after the arrest of a second man in Bengaluru for uploading such content to Instagram. (If you come across such videos or accounts online, you may report them to the cyber cell by calling 1930 or visiting http://cybercrime.gov.in.)
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has condemned the recent instances of secret filming and online circulation of voyeuristic videos of women in public spaces across Bengaluru, terming the incidents painful and a violation of women’s dignity.
“It pains me deeply to see women being secretly filmed and harassed in public spaces, with such videos circulated online at the cost of women’s dignity. This is not the Karnataka we stand for,” he wrote in a post on X on Thursday, 10 July.
ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕ ಸ್ಥಳಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಗುಪ್ತವಾಗಿ ಮಹಿಳೆಯರ ವಿಡಿಯೋ ಚಿತ್ರೀಕರಣ ಮಾಡುವುದು ಹಾಗೂ ಅವರಿಗೆ ಕಿರುಕುಳ ನೀಡುವುದು, ವೀಡಿಯೋಗಳನ್ನು ಜಾಲತಾಣಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಶೇರ್ ಮಾಡಿ ಅವರ ಮಾನಹಾನಿ ಮಾಡುವುದು ಮಹಿಳೆಯರ ಗೌರವಕ್ಕೆ ಧಕ್ಕೆಯುಂಟು ಮಾಡುತ್ತದೆ. ಇದು ನಮ್ಮ ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದ ಪರಂಪರೆಯಲ್ಲ.
ಕಳೆದ ಕೆಲವು ದಿನಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಇಂತಹ ಸಾಕಷ್ಟು ಘಟನೆಗಳು ಬೆಳಕಿಗೆ… pic.twitter.com/QJMrwvWNlf
— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) July 10, 2025
The Chief Minister’s remarks follow an incident that came to light on Thursday, 10 July, morning, the second in a series of recent cases involving separate Instagram accounts that shared secretly recorded videos of women without their consent.
Siddaramaiah stressed his government’s commitment to women’s safety, adding that such activities are being closely monitored.
“Many incidents have been reported in the last few days, and our government has taken immediate action against the offenders, who have been arrested. We are monitoring such activities closely,” he added.
“To the women of our state: we stand with you. Your safety and dignity are our priority, and we will act firmly against such crimes.”
He urged citizens to remain vigilant and report any suspicious online activity. “Where is our society headed if women cannot walk freely without fear of voyeurism or harassment? Such acts are crimes and betray our values as a society,” he said.
“Let us all work together to build a Karnataka where every woman feels safe, respected, and free.”
Earlier on Thursday, the Banashankari Police arrested a 26-year-old man, identified as Gurdeep Singh, a hotel management graduate and resident of KR Puram, for allegedly filming voyeuristic videos of women on Bengaluru’s streets and uploading them to an anonymous Instagram account.
The account, which had gained over 11,200 followers, featured voyeuristic videos and images of unsuspecting women walking in public, aimed at sexual gratification.
Police acted based on a complaint filed by one of the victims last week. Singh has been booked under sections of the Information Technology Act, 2000, as well as for voyeurism.
This follows another arrest on 23 May of a 27-year-old man from Thigalarapalya, employed in the accounts department of a private firm, also for uploading voyeuristic videos of women, particularly commuters on the Namma Metro.
The videos were posted to an Instagram page titled ‘@metro_chicks’, which had over 6,000 followers before it was deleted.
The page was flagged by social media users, triggering a wave of public outrage. Police found that the accused had deleted several videos in an attempt to cover his tracks.
The FIR was filed on 20 May under Section 67 of the IT Act and relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The incidents have sparked deep anxiety among regular commuters in Bengaluru, particularly women who rely on public transport.
“I feel like it might make headlines for a while, but then it’ll just fade away like everything else,” said Pratyusha, a regular metro commuter, speaking to South First in the wake of the first incident.
“Men do stare at us all the time, and most of the time, we can’t do anything about it. People will continue to travel by metro because it’s the most affordable option.”
Trupti, a student, recounted feeling uneasy during metro rides after the first incident came to light.
“I don’t know if he was casually holding it like that, but I feel uneasy. The women’s compartment is the only safe place in the metro,” she added.
Another commuter shared how the incident changed her perception of safety: “I never thought of the Bangalore metro as unsafe. But now I feel disgusted and paranoid. I have to be very conscious of who’s trying to look down my shirt with their camera or get some strange angle.”
She also voiced frustration with the limited space available for women on public transport.
“It’s really unfair that for women, we only get one small compartment while men take the rest of the space and even get annoyed if we enter the general compartments.”
Despite the arrests and official reassurances, many feel that sustained change is still a long way off.
“The person exposed might get fined or spend a few months in jail at most, and then things will go back to normal. Life will just move on, like it always does,” said Pratyusha.
(Edited by Dese Gowda with inputs from Nolan Patrick Pinto)
