Bengaluru Man Fired for Acid Attack Threat Over Woman’s Attire

A Bengaluru-based man, identified as Nikith Shetty, faced termination from his job and legal action after allegedly threatening to throw acid on a woman over her clothing choice. This development followed a complaint made by the woman’s husband, Shahbaz Ansar, who is a journalist, as reported by NDTV.

Ansar had taken to social media platform X, urging the authorities in Karnataka to take immediate action, saying, “This person is threatening to throw acid on my wife’s face for her choice of clothes. Please take immediate action against this person to prevent any incident from happening.” The post quickly gained attention and led to a concerted effort by social media users to identify and expose Shetty’s workplace.

Once identified, the company where Shetty was employed, Etios Digital Services, issued a statement on Instagram. They expressed their zero-tolerance stance towards such behavior and confirmed Shetty’s termination. “We are deeply saddened to address this serious incident involving our employee, Nikith Shetty. His actions are in direct contradiction to the values we uphold at Etios Services,” the company stated.

The company further detailed in its statement, “As a company committed to fostering a safe and respectful environment, we have taken immediate action. Nikith’s employment has been terminated for a period of five years, and we have filed a case against him to ensure accountability for his actions.”

Following the company’s reaction, many social media users expressed their support and gratitude. Ansar publicly thanked the company for their prompt response, saying, “The man who threatened my wife, Khyati Shree, with acid attack lost his job. The company acted promptly and fired him. Thanks to everyone who made this happen.”

Shetty is being charged under Section 124 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with crimes involving acid attacks. This section imposes severe penalties, including life imprisonment and fines to cover the victim’s medical expenses, for causing permanent damage or severe harm through such attacks.