'He grabbed me and laughed', US woman shares Delhi Metro station ordeal, says 'don't think I'll ever return to India'

A woman from the United States (US) has alleged that a teenage boy at a Delhi Metro station sexually harassed her after she allowed him to take a picture with her. She stated that this incident caused her to feel "shock and anger" and claimed that the boy's mother and sister defended his actions rather than reprimanding him.

Gaurav Sabnis, an Indian-American professor at the Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey, shared the woman's experience publicly. She sent him a message describing her experiences while she was visiting India.

Sabnis said that this woman, a former student of his, contacted him in November to request some tips for her upcoming one-week trip to India to attend a friend's wedding. He says he cautioned her to keep her vigilance up while she was in India, especially Delhi, because there of a high probability that she would be subjected to harassment while there.

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Professor shares...

In a post on X, professor Sabnis recalled how he had urged caution to his former student while visiting India and how it sadly came true.

"When this former student called me in November for suggestions for her India trip for a friend's wedding, I told her, be on guard for sexual harassment. Especially in Delhi. Here, you're just another blond. There, you'll be a target. Sadly, came true. Greatest culture!" he said.

Apart from this, the professor also shared messages from this student narrating her ordeal in Delhi.

The woman's experience

Narrating her ordeal, the woman said that she would never return to visit India and would in fact, "give all of South Asia a pass".

She narrated how a teenage boy, accompanied by his mother and sister, asked for a selfie with her and giving in to his demand, the woman allowed it only to find him "grabbing my breasts hard and spanking my butt".

"But then a teenage boy, maybe 14 or 15, at a Delhi Metro station just ruined it forever. He was with his mom and sister so thought okay why not. He puts an arm on my shoulder. Weird but okay, he's a teenager. And then, professor, he just straight up grabbed my breasts hard and spanked my butt and giggled like he had played a joke. pretty much EXPLODED in anger, grabbing him by the collar and pushing him away," she said.

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However, what followed was even more shocking as the teen's mother said that she was "overreacting". Additionally, the mother mentioned that the boy had "never met a blond lady up close so he got carried away".

"He fell and his mother started getting upset at me saying I was "overreacting". That he had never met a blond lady up close so he got "carried away". What kind of parenting is that? I loved your country and I wish I could say return, but don't think ever will. In fact I'm going to give all of South Asia a pass," the woman wrote in a text to the professor.

Social media reacts

Social media users slammed how the teen's family acted in his defense and called it an enabling culture. Others highlighted that molestation was a serious crime and that the woman should have filed a complaint.

"They are our so called demographic dividends. Mothers encourage their sons to harasses women just to make sure they valuable sons are virile enough to invest on," said one.

Another wished the woman had lodged a plaint and wrote, "Absolutely shameful,disgusting & embarrassing. I wish the lady had taken the matter further by calling the police. The boy just got away with his atrocious behaviour. My sons are absolute gentlemen with women, what happened to this nutcase? How did he think this was ok??"

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"India is not unsafe because Indians lack values. It becomes unsafe when impunity, poor social conditioning, and the dangerous habit of excusing assault as curiosity, youth, or accident is normalised, and defended by those who should correct it," said one X user.

One user empathised with the woman and said she was also a victim of harassment when she visited Jaipur. "It’s unfortunate that happened. I’ve visited India 7 times since 2017 & have also had a few things happen. The most shocking was while outside my hotel in Jaipur a boy maybe 12 came up 2 me & asked for a selfie. I obliged & as I snapped the photo he grabbed by butt shocking!" she wrote.

"Most unfortunate. The over protective mother’s reaction is highly condemnable and a major factor in moulding the way men behave," said another user.