Married woman sexually harassed in private bus; incident only comes to light late

Hyderabad: A disturbing case of sexual harassment of a married woman during a private bus journey has belatedly come to light. The incident took place on September 18, when a cleaner of the bus molested the woman while travelling from Hyderabad to Samarlakota in Andhra Pradesh.

The victim, a 28-year-old woman from Samarlakota, currently lives in Kukatpally, Hyderabad, where she works. On the night of September 18, she boarded a private coach to return to her hometown. Halfway, the bus cleaner approached her seat and violently attacked her. When the woman tried to scream for help, the cleaner threatened her, leaving her unable to defend herself.

When the woman's family reached home the next day, they noticed her plight and questioned her. She then narrated the details of the assault that had taken place on the bus. Her family took her to Choutuppal police station where she lodged a formal complaint. The police have now registered a case and are investigating.

**Previous incidents:**

This is not the first incident of its kind. On July 31, two drivers of a private coach sexually assaulted a 26-year-old woman while travelling from Nirmal, Telangana, to Prakasam, Andhra Pradesh. The increasing frequency of such crimes in public transport raises serious concerns about the safety of passengers.