Thiruvananthapuram, 14 July (H.S.):

Kerala Minister for Women and Child Development Bindu Krishna on Tuesday disclosed that she was subjected to an alleged act of online harassment after a man reportedly took inappropriate photographs of her during a public function and later uploaded them on social media.

The Minister recounted the incident while responding to questions from reporters on cybersecurity and online safety. She said the episode, which took place on July 6 during a Higher Secondary admission programme at a school in Kollam, left her deeply disturbed and has prompted her to consider initiating legal proceedings.

According to Bindu Krishna, she was addressing the gathering when a man standing among the audience began taking photographs. Congress workers present at the venue reportedly noticed that the individual was focusing his camera on specific parts of her body instead of taking normal photographs of the event or her face. They immediately confronted him, following which he stopped taking pictures.

However, the Minister said she was later shocked to learn that the images had been uploaded to the man's social media account. The photographs, she alleged, deliberately excluded her face and focused only on parts of her body.

The images were eventually deleted after he was confronted, but the incident left me traumatised. It exposed the extent to which some people misuse technology and social media to objectify women, Bindu Krishna said. She added that she chose to speak publicly about the incident to highlight that no woman, regardless of her position or public office, is immune from such behaviour.

The Minister declined to reveal the identity of the individual, stating that doing so could adversely affect the reputation of the school. She said the man was a member of the school's staff, while Congress workers had preserved screenshots of the social media post and informed the school management about the matter.

Although she has not yet lodged a police complaint, Bindu Krishna said she is seriously considering pursuing legal action against the accused.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman