The man who sexually harassed a student was sentenced to six months in jail and fined Rs 500
A college student has thanked the Mumbai Police for pursing a case that she thought had gone off the radar. Five months ago, the student had reported to the police that a man sexually harassed her while she was walking at a public place near her home. She said the incident was traumatic. She screamed for help, after which the man ran away.
"Although I could not provide a whole lot of relevant information, or describe the person too well, the officers at Gamdevi Police Station made sure I was comfortable enough to speak, took down a report. They also sent out patrol cars to find the man in case he was still in the area, but didn't succeed. And honestly, I thought that would be it, considering how vague the information I could provide at that time was," the student said.
"Months of follow up, and being asked to identifying blurry CCTV footage. I was afraid that I had forgotten what the man looked like and nothing would ever come out of all of this. Today, after almost five months of the incident, I was contacted by Sandip Mane of Gamdevi Police Station with pictures of the same man. He was sure that he was the right person, and when I saw him, it clicked," the student said in a letter that she wrote to the Mumbai Police, thanking them for catching the man.
"I had given up, but the folks at Gamdevi Police Station had not. I am forever grateful to Mumbai Police for all of their efforts, and how receptive they were to my complaint, how diligent they were with the follow up, and how they did not stop until they found the person," the student said.
"If you ever find yourself hesitant to report a similar incident, or wonder if it even makes sense to go to the police with it, I encourage you to do so. You can't expect immediate results, but you can expect relentless and consistent efforts that will make you feel safer, and more confident the next time you step out alone," she said.
The police arrested the man on October 6, after searching him for 100 days. A chargesheet was filed against him within 24 hours of the arrest and he was taken to a local court.
The court gave its verdict after two days of trial.
Based on the testimony of the student, which was cross-examined thoroughly; the CCTV footage of the area, and the solid work of the officer in charge of the investigation, the man was convicted and sentenced to six months in jail and fined Rs 500, the police said.