The accused, Harsha H B, a resident of Vijayanagar, was taken into custody following an incident on Wednesday near Gopalan Mall on Mysuru-Bengaluru Road.
The matter gained attention after Akshatha Ravikumar, State Secretary of the Karnataka Pradesh Youth Congress and a national media panelist for the Indian Youth Congress, shared a video of the act on the social media platform ‘X.’
"Women drivers in Bangalore face a lot of issues... After abusing me, he broke traffic rules, took an illegal U-turn where there wasn’t one, and jumped a red signal. This happened at 4 pm on Mysuru-Bengaluru Road near Gopalan Mall on 26/02/2025. Are we supposed to listen to this and ignore it?" Ravikumar wrote in her post.
According to the police, the incident stemmed from a traffic dispute. Ravikumar, while driving, overtook the accused’s vehicle, which led to an exchange of words. She recorded the man’s actions, providing evidence to authorities.
The accused was reportedly accompanied by his family at the time.
"This incident appears to have been triggered by a misunderstanding, and necessary legal action has been taken," a senior police officer stated.
Following Ravikumar’s complaint, a case was registered under Section 79 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (word, gesture, or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) at Chamarajpet police station. Harsha H B was subsequently arrested but later released on station bail.
Addressing the media, Ravikumar confirmed the arrest, stating, "I was driving my car when this man, who was also driving, came up next to me and made gestures that annoyed me, prompting me to file a complaint. I don’t know who he is or why he did it—perhaps he wanted space to move ahead, but there was no room for me to give way."
The incident has reignited concerns over road safety and harassment faced by women drivers in Bengaluru.
