Software engineer accuses co-passenger of sexual harassment on Guwahati-Hyderabad flight

HYDERABAD: A 24-year-old city-based software engineer has filed a police complaint against her co-passenger, alleging that he inappropriately touched her during a recent flight from Guwahati to Hyderabad. Based on her complaint, the airport police have registered a criminal case and started a probe.

The complainant boarded the flight from Guwahati at 8.45pm on Monday. She alleged that during the three-hour journey, a male passenger seated next to her misbehaved with her.

“He repeatedly spread his hands and legs into my space, causing discomfort. Initially, I believed the contact was accidental, but later he continued doing the same thing intentionally. Once, I woke up from sleep and asked him to please keep his hands and legs within his own space. He apologised but again started doing the same thing and even touched my private parts,” the complainant alleged.

She also accused the passenger of looking at her aggressively when she asked him to remain within his seat space. The complainant claimed that his unpleasant behaviour was noticed by some other co-passengers as well.

While the accused, on landing in Hyderabad, asked the complainant to delete the videos that she had recorded of his actions, she refused to do so. She instead approached the police during the early hours of Tuesday.

Based on her complaint, Rajiv Gandhi International Airport police registered a case on May 19 under Sections 75 (sexual harassment) and 79 (word, gesture, or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Airport police said that they are trying to identify the accused through the airline.

(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)