Why everyone on one plane was staring at this man.

The plane shaming that makes us proud.

Women the world over know what it’s like to be made to feel intimidated, uncomfortable or personally violated by a man.

And in India, sexual assault towards women is still alarmingly high. A Times of India survey from 2012 revealed almost 70% of female respondents had been subjected to lewd comments or songs from groups of men. About a quarter of them had been groped or molested by men.  Astoundingly- an overwhelming 90 per cent of victims of sexual assault did not report their crime to authorities.

So what’s the best way to change this? For women to reclaim power over their bodies? To shake the stigma?

One Indian woman has decided to name and shame. Using her iPhone camera to capture the whole ordeal, of course.

Indian prime minister: “We don’t have a right to kill our daughters.”

Shreyas Rao found herself  being groped by a middle-aged man sitting behind her on a recent plane trip. Enraged, she loudly and in front of a crowded plane called him out on his decision to violate her body.

You can watch the video below. Hold your applause until the end.  Post continues after video. 

“You thought I didn’t know or I would keep quiet right?” she hurled at the clearly uncomfortable man as he mumbles at her to forgive him.

“You are asking for forgiveness? Why? Because I’m a girl and you have the right to touch me anytime, anywhere you want to?”.

Meet the man who wore a sanitary pad to help the women of India.

Shreyas uploaded the video with the following message describing the assault:

This man on the seat behind mine, put his fingers in the seat gap to touch me!!! I was very shocked for sometime to react. By then the flight went to landing mode. Then the moment flight touched down, I got up. Saw his hand was again on the side ready to take up any opportunity to touch me!!!

I created such a scene, humiliated him in front of the whole flight! He thought like usual girls will keep quiet and he can get away with this! I have lodged an FIR now! He is a very rich man of Bhubaneswar and is now very humiliated in front of the people who know him. Cant believe the ordeal I had to go thru but being silent is a crime! The police officer was very helpful and the Indigo staff remained with me throughout.

I clicked his pictures and made videos, shouted so loud that the entire plane came forward to see him! I made sure I humiliate him as much as possible because i know law will do nothing.’”

The man in the video is currently under police custody, because Shreyas was brave enough to speak out and create a scene.

We hope brave women like Shreyas will inspire other women to come forward and make it clear to their assaulters: my body is mine alone and if you dare violate it, I will hold you accountable.

Thank you, Shreyas.