Pervert makes lewd comments, then slaps woman

And then hits passer-by, who tried to help her, bloodying his face

And then hits passer-by, who tried to help her, bloodying his face

Subhash Salgude, a contractor, passed a lewd comment about student Arti Kale (name changed) at Ghatkopar station yesterday and when she protested, he slapped her.

A passer-by who tried to rein in Salgude was also beaten up.

Kale, a BA student at Ramniranjan Jhunjhunwala College, was on the station's platform no 1 at 4.45 pm when Salgude passed a vulgar comment about her breasts.

"When I passed by that man [Salgude], he made a vulgar comment.

I was angry, so I retraced my steps and asked him to repeat the comment. But he said he hadn't said anything and then started abusing me. I had clearly heard what he said, so I pushed him," said Kale.

Justice Delivered: Arti Kaleu00a0said the eve teaser hit her so hard yesterday she started shivering. The man is now in police custody.

That's when Salgude slapped her. "He hit me so hard I started shivering. A passer-by immediately came forward to help me, but Salgude hit him too and he started bleeding from the mouth," said Kale.

Confession

The railway police then overpowered Salgude and took him to Kurla railway police station where cases of 'outraging modesty of women' and 'voluntarily causing hurt' under the IPC were registered against him.

At the station, Salgude first refused to own up to the crime, but later admitted that he had indeed passed lewd comments.

Salgude then broke down saying he should be let off, as his brother was admitted to a hospital in Kalyan and that he had a pregnant wife at home.

Overnight custody

But when MiD DAY spoke to him, Salgude said, "I have not passed any comments about Kale, nor have I hurt her.
u00a0
In fact, she is the one who hit him. The marks on her body could've been caused earlier."

Meanwhile, Senior Inspector D Gore, Kurla railway police station, said, "We have arrested Salgude. He will be kept in our custody overnight."

Not a safe city?

Two NRI women from USA were groped and molested outside the J W Marriott hotel, Juhu, December 31, 2007, even though they were accompanied by two men.u00a0

A woman was molested by several men at Gateway of India on December 31, 2006. She was there with her boyfriend.