A Delhi Metro journey took an unsettling turn after two women confronted a man they alleged was secretly photographing them, leading to a wider discussion online about consent, safety and bystander silence also.
A woman travelling on the Delhi Metro with a friend has alleged that a middle-aged man secretly photographed them, prompting the two to confront him and sparking a wider discussion online about women’s safety in public spaces.
The incident took place at Lok Nayak Bhawan Metro station while the women were travelling towards Green Park in the evening. According to the woman’s Instagram post, she and her friend noticed a man sitting nearby and believed he was taking photographs of them without their knowledge.
The situation became more uncomfortable when, she said, the man continued staring at them even after realising they had noticed what he was allegedly doing. She later shared a video showing the women confronting him while he remained seated some distance away.
“Photo li aapne hamari?” one of the women asked him.
The man then took his phone from his pocket and began deleting photographs in front of them. He subsequently showed them his phone and denied having taken their pictures. However, according to the woman, the two later checked the phone’s recycle bin and found the photographs there, despite their earlier deletion.
The women told the man that taking photographs or recording videos of people in public without their consent was unacceptable.
Woman questions silence of fellow commuters
The woman also raised concerns about how other passengers reacted while the incident was unfolding. She alleged that another man sitting next to the accused had seen him taking the photographs but did not intervene.
According to her account, people around them only began responding after the women themselves confronted the man. She questioned why bystanders remained silent while the alleged behaviour was taking place.
In her Instagram post, the woman also addressed what she described as a tendency to blame women when they experience harassment or invasive behaviour in public places.
She stressed that a woman’s clothes, behaviour or location should not be used to justify someone photographing her without permission. “It is NOT our clothes. It is NOT our behaviour. It is NOT where we were sitting. It is NOT our fault,” she wrote.
She further argued that taking photographs of women or anyone else without consent, followed by attempts to justify the act, was the actual problem.
The incident has since attracted attention on social media, where users expressed frustration over the experience described by the woman. Some commenters called for strict action against the man involved, while others focused on the broader concern of women feeling unsafe or uncomfortable in public spaces.
The woman’s post also questioned whether women can genuinely feel safe while travelling or spending time in public places. Her account has renewed discussion around consent, bystander intervention and the treatment of women who speak out after uncomfortable encounters.
