Caught red-handed: Shanghai party cadre fired after being filmed groping woman on train
Man identified as a state-run firm's deputy official arrested after victim comes forward
PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 09 July, 2014, 1:14pm
UPDATED : Wednesday, 09 July, 2014, 6:12pm
Kathy Gao [email protected]
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A Shanghai party official has been kicked out of the Communist Party and sacked from his job after a video of him sexually harassing a woman on the subway surfaced online.
In the video the official, sitting by the train doors, notices a woman standing close by. After glancing at her shorts several times, he reaches out and touches the top of her thigh, causing the woman to turn around and then recoil towards the door.
The passenger then quickly turns his attention back to his phone as if nothing has happened.
Wang Qikang, identified as the offender, told police in Shanghai that he had accidentally touched the girl’s leg while he was falling asleep on the train - despite the fact his eyes are clearly open throughout the incident.
His explanation infuriated internet users, who sent the viral video, eastday.com reported.
Wang “has been expelled from Communist Party” and Shanghai Jinjiang International Corporation “decided to terminate his contract”, the company said in a statement.
The wide-eyed man looks over at the woman's shorts before reaching out and stroking her. Once she moves away, he is suddenly engrossed by his phone. Photos: Screengrabs from Youku
He had served as deputy director of the party office at one of Jinjiang’s subsidiaries.
Shanghai Jinjiang is one of biggest state-run travel-related enterprises. The news bulletin also said Wang had been detained by local police for “molesting women in public”.
Reports said the Wang was identified by web users after the video was posted online.
The video gained even more traction when they found out the offender was a cadre at a state-run company.
A short notice on the Jinjiang’s websiteposted on Saturday said that the company’s party officials were asked to deal with Wang’s case seriously and in accordance with the law.
The victim reported the case to police on Sunday, reports said.
The harassment of women in public for years went largely unpunished in China and victims tended to remain silent.
In recent years, however, video technology on smartphones has emboldened more people to report such crimes.
