She was harassed, but she did not take it lying down. She confronted the harassers. Her husband stood up to them too. But what happened next has left a deep scar on her and her family.
A family of eight from Nashik, including four children, had gone for a Sunday outing to the Bhavli Dam and waterfall area in Igatpuri town. Little did they know their picnic would turn into a nightmare.
Two men allegedly sexually harassed the woman. When the family objected, the men chased them for 20 kilometers and smashed their car – in one of the most harrowing incidents in recent times.
All because the woman and her family stood up to the harassers and questioned them.
Speaking to NDTV about her ordeal, the survivor said she never imagined the harassers would be so brazen as to chase them for 20 kilometers and attack them in full public view.
“We never imagined that the men would chase us and attack us. They attacked the car with rods. They were chasing us from all sides. I can’t describe what we went through in words,” she told NDTV.
Attackers chased the family for 10 kms and damaged their car
The dispute began when two men at the site allegedly whistled at and sexually harassed a woman from the family. When the family objected, the accused turned aggressive.
“We had gone for a picnic. We had our food, played in the water, and were planning to leave. That’s when two people there called out my name and started harassing me,” the survivor said while narrating her family’s ordeal. “I scolded the men. My husband also confronted them and asked why they were harassing a woman in a public place.”The angry men then abused the family and were soon joined by others who ran food stalls nearby.
“Soon there were 10-12 men and they all charged at us,” the victim said.
The family tried to pacify the situation and walk away, but the men were in no mood to let go. An argument ensued and the group continued abusing the family.
#NDTVExclusive | Nashik family assault case: The price paid for objecting against molestation – A 15 km chase by the goons, car vandalised
Nashik assault survivor speaks exclusively to NDTV’s @VedikaS on #BreakingGround, recounts horrific experience and demands justice pic.twitter.com/sHcVL7naw9
— NDTV (@ndtv) July 14, 2026
“After a brief confrontation, we tried to leave. When we got into our car, they blocked us and started smashing our car windows. They then chased us for nearly 20 kilometers. They damaged our car completely with iron rods. The car is completely destroyed.”
She said there were a total of 10-12 men and she would be able to identify most of them.
Police have arrested nine of the accused and are looking for one more. Police said that one of the accused has a prior murder case against him.
There were four children in the car when the men attacked it. “The children are still so scared,” she said.
Talking about the brazen nature of the attack, she told NDTV that the men kept attacking the car wherever there was traffic and they could catch up. Some men were on two-wheelers chasing the family’s car.
“We feared that if we stopped, they would attack us and kill us.”
She also questioned what gave these men the courage to harass a woman in a public place and then attack them so violently when questioned.
“I refused to be cowed down,” she said, adding that she won’t tolerate harassment and will confront it if it happens again.
Demanding exemplary punishment for the accused, the survivor said action against them “will serve as a lesson for others.”
