Lalbagh staff abuse, slap, assault couple

Bengaluru: When you head to Lalbagh for a morning walk next time, ensure that your bladder is empty. If you ever want to use the toilet on the premises, there is every chance that you would be assaulted, threatened and pushed around by goons who manage the toilet there.

 

This was what happened to Mr Ryan Zesus and his wife, who have been going to Lalbagh for their morning walks for the last one month. A woman cleaner and her associate demanded money from the couple for using a public toilet and assaulted them. The incident occurred on the morning of October 29. The victims have now approached the Lalbagh authorities with their complaint.

 

Mr Zesus also posted his complaint on the Bengaluru police’s Facebook page, saying that he and his wife had been going for their morning walks at Lalbagh for the last one month. A few weeks ago, the couple entered into a heated argument with the cleaner woman, who demanded money for using the toilet, situated near the Ashok Pillar gate. The couple said that the toilets had been donated by Varalaskhmi Foundation and people don’t have to pay to use it. But the cleaner woman got into a rage, and started shouting at Mr Zesus’ wife, who refused to pay saying there was no board mentioning it as a pay and use toilet.

 

The couple said that they only wanted to ensure that the money went to the right hands and not get into a fight. After the confrontation that lasted full 20 minutes, the cleaner woman walked away. But, little did the couple realise that they would have to pay a heavier price later.

 

Around 8.30 am on October 29, when Mr Zesus’ wife headed towards the toilet, the same cleaner woman stopped her. When the couple asked her for the ID card to prove that she worked at the Lalbagh, the woman allegedly started hurling abuses.

 

What was more shocking was that one of the regular walkers also joined the fight and allegedly abused and assaulted the couple. “The man grabbed my wife’s dupatta and pulled it, while I was pushed against the wall. This man also hit my face, while many others gathered around me. They were even talking of locking us inside the toilet, when some other walkers came to the spot, pulled my wife to safety and requested us to leave.”

 

He said, “A man, claiming himself to be the security supervisor of Lalbagh, arrived at the spot and threatened me and my wife that he would put us behind bars. Without any provocation, he used filthy language against me and my wife. He had come to the spot just then, and was not even aware of what transpired there. He ordered the security men at the gate to throw me and my wife out of Lalbagh. I want the police and Lalbagh authorities to take action against these goons. Can a man touch a woman and verbally abuse her for a mere Rs 5?,” Mr Zesus asked.

 

When Deccan Chronicle asked the jurisdictional police, they said they had not received a complaint. “If the complainant approaches us and files a complaint, we will take suitable action against the offenders,” a police officer said.