A visually impaired athlete who had participated in national level para sports meet was sexually harassed by an autorickshaw driver in Old City area on Wednesday. The 23-year-old athlete had gone to meet her sister at Mau district and reached city around 10pm.

She alighted from the roadways bus and got into an autorickshaw opposite Alambagh bus stand. The athlete stays with her husband at Aliganj. Other passengers in the autorickshaw got off at Charbagh railway station and Qaiserbagh area. By the time the autorickshaw reached Qaiserbagh bus depot, only the athlete was remained on board.

She alleged that the driver then started behaving with her inappropriately. She somehow got off the rickshaw near local court building and raised an alarm. The athlete slapped the driver and sensing trouble, he escaped from the area. The local vendors hired another rickshaw for the athlete that dropped her at Aliganj.

She informed her husband about the incident and the two lodged a case against the unidentified driver on Thursday at Wazirganj police station. Abhinav Singh Pundir, in charge of the police station said that the athlete has visibility of less than 20% and may have been perceived as a soft target. Some weeks ago, a female US national was targeted by a tempo driver and his aide in Qaiserbagh area in a similar fashion.

Source: Times of India