Mumbai: A 23-year-old female naval officer from the Royal Australian Navy, deployed on a warship from New Zealand that is on an official visit to Mumbai, was allegedly molested by an auto rickshaw driver in the city on Sunday night. The accused, identified as Anil Kamble (32), has been arrested.
According to officials, the officer and her colleagues were invited to a food festival at the FSTC, Naval Dockyard, by the Indian Navy on Sunday evening. An Indian Navy bus picked them up from the port around 7 pm. Around 9 pm, the officer, along with two of her colleagues, left the event and went to a restaurant near Colaba.
Around 11.30 pm, they reached the Green Gate, BPT, in a taxi and approached the auto rickshaw. The auto rickshaw driver shook hands with her two colleagues who got into the vehicle first. When it was her turn, the driver allegedly pulled her towards her and touched her inappropriately. She told the police that she immediately pushed him away and got into the vehicle. On the way, she clicked some photographs of the driver.
On boarding her ship around 11.45 pm, she narrated the incident to her other colleagues and the Indian Navy was informed. Indian Navy officials immediately escorted her to the Yellow Gate police station where an FIR was registered. The auto rickshaw driver was arrested soon after that.
Incidentally, the HMNZS Te Kaha, a Frigate of the New Zealand Navy is on a visit to Mumbai. The ship’s visit coincided with New Zealand prime minister Christopher Luxon’s visit to India. The commanding officer of this warship is Commander Fiona Jameson, also a woman.
Though the Indian Navy has women officers, none of them, save for a few helicopter pilots, have been deployed on warships till now.
