Special Correspondent
Pune: In a distressing incident following the recent Swargate bus stand rape case, a young actress was subjected to obscene behavior by a man while traveling on an ST bus. The incident took place on Wednesday, March 5, around 10 PM, on a Mahabaleshwar-Pune bus.
The 26-year-old actress, who lives alone in Pune away from her family, has lodged a complaint at Rajgad Police Station.
According to reports, the actress had gone to Wai, Satara, for a serial shoot and was returning to Pune in the evening. A female colleague dropped her at Surur Phata on the Satara-Pune highway on a two-wheeler. Around 9 PM, she boarded the Mahabaleshwar-Swargate ST bus and purchased a ticket for Katraj. She was seated alone.
When the bus stopped at Shirwal on the highway, some passengers disembarked, and an unidentified man, approximately 45 years old, boarded the bus. He was wearing a white shirt and carrying a sack. Initially, he sat in front of the actress but kept turning back to look at her. A short while later, he shifted to the seat beside her and began making inappropriate gestures.
Despite her attempts to ignore him, the man escalated his behavior by unzipping his pants and engaging in an obscene act while staring at her. Remaining calm, she pretended to be on a phone call and discreetly recorded the incident on her mobile phone. She then approached the bus conductor for help, but he refused to take any action.
When the bus halted near Amrai Hotel on the highway, the accused quickly got off and fled the scene.
As the bus neared the Khed-Shivapur toll booth, the frightened actress once again sought help from the conductor, explaining the situation and even showing him the video evidence. However, instead of taking action, he questioned why she had not reported the matter earlier and refused to intervene.
The incident has sparked serious concerns regarding women’s safety on public transport and the apparent negligence of transport staff in handling such cases.
