Poornima Prabhu, an X user, recently shared a story about her daughter, who courageously confronted two men on a bike who were harassing her near their home. The incident occurred just 800 meters away, and Ms Prabhu expressed her pride in her daughter for standing up to the harassers.
"Last week, my daughter, who is in her 20s, was waiting to cross the road about 800 meters from our home in Bengaluru when two boys on a bike heckled her," Ms Prabhu wrote. "Her first instinct was to walk away, but then she decided to take action. She shouted at them and ran towards them, and they sped off as if the devil was after them."
Praising her daughter's bold response, Ms Prabhu added, "I'm so proud of her, because at her age I would have just looked down and walked away quickly. This happened in an area where almost everyone knew her, and that's what got to her. She thought, 'If I can't walk in peace here, then what's the point?' There were so many people around."
In a follow-up post, Ms Prabhu mentioned that her daughter was dressed in a long-sleeved t-shirt and ankle-length trousers, hoping to prevent any judgments based on her attire. She urged other women to speak out against harassment, saying, "Do not stay silent; don't let your silence empower such behaviour."
Many users praised her daughter's bravery. When asked about the risk of retaliation, Ms Prabhu explained, "We have told them (her children) clearly about the how, when, what of reacting.... and how to keep themselves safe. Unless such people understand that girls are not going to take it silently, they will get emboldened even more."
Social media users supported Ms Prabhu's stance. "So I've done this way back in the 80s. kicked and punched fellows bothering us on buses, and screamed back at hecklers. Generally, I think we were a little more bold, or maybe the repercussions would not have been as bad as we hear now. But good on you for raising your daughter right!"
Another user commented, "Kudos but too dangerous. They could've retaliated. Was coming back home on Diwali and there was a bunch of people in a car (seemed drunk) who tried to mess with us. With all the news about road rage incidents, seemed best to just avoid and take a different route."
"Absolutely ma'am! keeping quiet doesn't get us anywhere, it is about giving expression to the natural reaction that upsurges in such situations! kudos to your girl," the third user wrote.
