A recent Reddit post has sparked significant concern and discussion after a woman alleged she was sexually assaulted while shopping in Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar with her husband. The incident reportedly occurred in broad daylight, leaving the woman feeling violated and distressed.
The woman recounted the ordeal in a detailed post, describing how a man groped her and then walked away as if nothing had happened. “I was in Lajpat Nagar with my husband. Both of us were standing and looking in different directions, searching for a particular store. This tall man in a dhoti and kurta walked between us, grabbed my breast, and walked off. I realized what had happened and hit him from behind, though not too hard because I initially thought it might have been a mistake,” she wrote.
The woman’s initial reaction was to doubt herself, but the man’s reaction confirmed his guilt. “He turned around and acted like he knew nothing, but you could tell he did it intentionally and tried to hide it with a straight face. I told my husband what happened; he shouted at the man and ran after him, but I asked him to let it go and come back. Despite this, I felt dirty, cried, and for some reason, blamed my husband too,” she added.
Her post posed a heart-wrenching question: “What should I have done? What should my husband have done? Why do I feel like this? How can someone grab my breast in public and walk off?”
The post has garnered numerous reactions from Reddit users, with many offering advice and sharing similar experiences. One user wrote, “This is so scary… and you may still be feeling awful. Just know that man is a terrible human being. Try shouting and making a public commotion if something like this happens again. It’s tough to be in your senses during this, but the man would be caught if people intervene.”
Another suggested, “Hit harder next time and start shouting; the crowd will do the rest. Sorry you had to go through this.”
A third user commented, “Public should thrash people like that and teach them a lesson then and there only.” Another person added, “Such perverts groping women leave us with lifelong trauma. You’re strong, you did nothing wrong, your spouse did nothing wrong. Feeling helpless and restless is a part of it; you will heal at your own pace. Always remember the times you were safe and that it’s a one-off thing.”
This incident is reminiscent of another case a few months ago when a teenager shared on Reddit how he was sexually assaulted while traveling in the Delhi Metro. “I just got assaulted in the Delhi metro right now at Rajiv Chowk Metro Station. I am a 16-year-old boy, and I was traveling alone in the metro,” the teen wrote, tagging Delhi Police on X (formerly Twitter).
These incidents highlight the pervasive issue of sexual harassment and assault in public spaces, sparking a call for better safety measures and public awareness to protect individuals from such traumatic experiences.
