Bengaluru: Woman Harassed, Friend Beaten In Hebbal Pub

What was anticipated to be a leisurely evening turned into a distressing experience for some PhD students in Bengaluru as they faced harassment at a pub from two individuals. Shockingly, the incident in Hebbal on November 24 escalated to the point where a man was not only assaulted but also subjected to verbal abuse, Bangalore Mirror reported.

It all started when a man repeatedly approached their table, unsettling the male friend with inquiries about his female friend. Although the 26-year-old man refused to engage in talks, the harasser temporarily withdrew but later returned, leading the situation to escalate into verbal abuse and eventually resulting in a physical altercation.

"When the man was inquiring about my friend, I handled the situation calmly. But later, he came again to the table and started abusing me. Then he was joined by his friend, who came and slapped me. They also punched my other friends at the table," Bangalore Mirror quoted Sukalyan Deb as saying.

The people next to their table reacted without understanding the situation, Deb claims. "I noticed that the people who hit me were still roaming freely in the pub, behaving as if nothing had happened," he stated. However, the pub's response was unsatisfactory, a source told the publication.

"Bouncers intervened selectively, focusing on calming down only our friend and escorting us out. The alleged assailant, seemingly a regular customer, was allowed to leave without any accountability, making it impossible for us to file a police complaint. The manager claimed that due to the individuals being regulars, they did not possess any registration details," the victim stated.

The pub has also refused to give out the names of harassers, the 26-year-old victim stated.

"We are concerned about the lack of transparency and accountability in addressing such incidents, especially when it involves their regular customers. This incident raises serious questions about the safety and security measures in place at pubs because this isn't the first incident," the source further commented.

The incident falls under Amruthahalli police station limits. This is the second such incident being reported from the same pub in 2023, the report said.