Violated to my core

Someone anonymously shared with us:

This incident took place around 3 years ago when I was in my first year of college. I used to take the bus (BMTC transport buses), and usually, these buses were crowded. Most of the time and for long periods, I used to travel, standing in the bus, holding on to the bars/railings. A guy was standing behind me and I could make out that he was extremely close to me as I could feel his stare and breath on my ear.

I was feeling uncomfortable but I did not say anything because there was no space inside the bus. But, after some time, the same guy unnecessarily got, even more, close to me and that was weird and uncomfortable because there was evident space for him behind. And, his body was literally rubbing against my back but once again, I tried to convince myself that this discomfort is just for a matter of time and once I get down on my stop, things will be okay. But, things got worse and I could feel that this guy got an erection because he was standing so close to me. I was very uncomfortable and I tried telling him to stop by turning a bit but I am unsure if I should give him the benefit of doubt. I remember that once I reached college, I just sat feeling hassled while my friends inquired about me. Initially, I was uncomfortable narrating the incident but then a couple of my friends started getting worried about my hassled state and that’s when I started to give out the details. I tried not to choke by infusing humor in the story, saying statements like ‘there was this creepy guy in the bus’ but I know in my heart, how far these statements were from the real details.

I felt violated to my core and the worse part is that it happened in broad daylight with no one objecting to it, including myself. The incident still haunts me and I freak out to this moment whenever I think about it. After that incident, I did not use public buses, instead traveled through private buses. They were a little more expensive but it was bearable because I did not have the courage to return to the public bus.