India: CFWIJ condemns the harassment Greeshma Kuthar had to face

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September 10, 2021, Chennai- Journalist Greeshma Kuthar was harassed by a man while traveling at night. According to Kuthar the incident took place at a prominent junction in Anna Nagar. Greeshma was traveling on her scooter when a strange man in a car passing by insisted on speaking to her. Despite no response from Greeshma, he kept persisting and following her, repeatedly passing inappropriate comments. The man only stopped once Greeshma took a photo of his car’s registration number.

Greeshma took to her twitter account to detail the incident that took place and express the discomfort she experienced.

According to Greeshma, when she approached the traffic cop on location with her complaint alongside the registration number of his car she was redirected to the traffic control room at Roundtana. What followed was a long bureaucratic chase where she was sent from one office to another without much response from those responsible. However, according to Greesham, the process was considerably accelerated once she mentioned that she was a journalist, indicating that public spaces and public offices remain uncooperative for women who do not have the kind of access she does. 

The police subsequently arrested the man who harassed Greeshma. The man, who has recently returned to India from the US, was booked under Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Women Harassment Act. 

The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the harassment that Greesham Khuttar had to face. While it is fortunate that the police were able to detain the man responsible for the act, as Greeshma clearly pointed out that the systems in place are entirely unhelpful. Women who do not have the kind of resources or access to news platforms that Greeshma has would have been unable to ensure that those who make public spaces unsafe for them are held accountable. We urge for those in charge to rethink the ways our cities function in order to make public spaces as well as bureaucratic officer more cooperative with women.