Bigg Boss 4 Kannada contestant Sheethal Shetty has allegedly been sexually abused online and the former journalist has opened up on the incident on her Facebook account.
Speaking to International Business Times India Edition, Sheethal Shetty said earlier too, she was getting similar posts on Facebook, but used to ignore them. "This one crossed all the limits. Hence, I decided to raise my voice," she said.
Giving details of the latest episode, she said the person in question happens to be "a 17-year-old student and a handicap (sic)."
"Often we come across such comments related to women's dress, but I was targeted for no reason, which leaves me wondering what makes people pass such vulgar comments against us," Sheethal said.
She added that because of ther person's differently-abled status, she has decided not to file any case against him but warned him of consequences if he repeated the offence.
Sexual harassment is not new to Sheethal Shetty, who was a journalist earlier. "Even when I was working as an anchor in a TV, I used to get disturbing letters. Even now I was about to ignore the incident, but my family people asked me to raise my voice. If a person like me can face such incident and imagine what is the situation of the common man. Many girls have inboxed me about their experience and how social media has made their life difficult," she said.
"I hope there is a strict law against such incidents," the Big Boss 4 Kannada contestant said.
How should a woman respond to sexual harassment?
The first thing to do is to inform the cyber police either through e-mail and follow it up with a formal complaint without delay. One should provide all the details to solidify the case along with printouts of objectionable messages received online.
Laws to help women
Earlier, cases related to online harassment were filed under Section 66A of the Information Technology Act (sending offensive message through a computer or any other new-age devices that includes mobile phone and tablet). If convicted, an accused is liable to prison term of up to three years and a fine.
However, on March 24, 2015, the Supreme Court struck down Section 66A of the Information and Technology Act, which allowed the police to arrest people for posting "offensive content" on the Internet. The apex court said the provision directly affected the right to freedom of speech and expression guaranteed by the Constitution of India.
Nonetheless, offences against women can been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and 354D (stalking).
