Even as a new case of harassment and death threats has raised alarm in Mangaluru, Karnataka, just hours after the murder of a bus driver at Bantwal town made waves a week earlier.
A nurse has said a man threatened to kill her after she went to the police and filed a report against him in this case. The woman has also claimed her friends have been attacked and molested, and the police have not acted against the accused so far.
The nurse, Nandini from Puttur, lives in a rented house in Neermarga, Mangaluru. It was on August 16 that Nandini was reported as having gone to Mysuru. Before she left, she gave the key to her friend Chandana and asked her to visit the house and feed her dog. Chandana’s home was visited the next day by Nandini and one of her friends, Adithya, a nurse from Kerala.
They say Naushad came to the residence after receiving information from Adithya. Naushad entered the house without permission and caused disturbance; he is alleged to have verbally abused Chandana and Adithya using offensive language. When Nandini learned about the incident, she contacted the accused over the phone to find out what had happened.
Nandini's complaint said that Naushad had physically abused her on the phone and threatened her during the conversation. She went to Mangaluru Women’s Police Station and filed a complaint against him. The situation deteriorated after the accused came to know she had approached the police.
Nandini claims Naushad sent her a threatening voice message on WhatsApp. He stated that he was not afraid of anyone and threatened to kill her before surrendering to the police. The threat left the nurse scared, and she went to Mangaluru Rural Police Station on August 20 seeking help and protection.
Adithya’s case has also raised concerns over another nurse, Adithya. Adithya, as she was reported by people who spoke to her, said that Naushad had her photographs and videos. This has raised some questions about whether she was being threatened or blackmailed. Now Adithya is back in Kerala and has been hard to contact. The circumstances regarding the photographs and videos are still in question as far as we know, and this is why the case has been raised.
The controversy intensified after allegations that no immediate action was taken against the accused despite the complaints. Nandini contacted VHP and Durga Vahini for help with her safety, according to the report. She also said Mangaluru had raised her anxiety about getting outside, and she wanted protection for herself, she said.
Another development apparently added to the women’s concerns. The hospital administration where Nandini and Adithya were working allegedly terminated both nurses after the matter reached the police. The circumstances surrounding the employment decision have also become part of the wider controversy.
In the aftermath, Mangaluru City Police Commissioner Sudheer Reddy later replied to the questions about the police delay in arresting Naushad. As the commissioner explained, the police were planning to take action against the accused but that the case involved threats made over the phone. The offence was a punishment below the level that allowed police to arrest the accused immediately, the commissioner said, and as such, police did not have the legal power to arrest him immediately.
After the police clarification, Naushad appeared before a court and obtained bail. It has also raised the issue of legal provisions of arrests in threats and the difficulty that complainants face in getting protection.
The allegations in the case were to be investigated, and legal proceedings were in place, and the alleged actions of the complainant and others involved will have to be established through evidence. But the case has brought into focus threats against women, online and telephone harassment, alleged blackmail, and the need for immediate police action when a person has a credible threat to their safety. The allegations are to be investigated, and legal action should be taken.
