An official of the ruling Communist Party of China was expelled from the party and sacked from his job after a video showing him sexually harassing a woman on a Shanghai subway went viral on the Internet.
The video gained even more traction when web users found out the offender was a cadre at the state-run Shanghai Jinjiang International Corporation.
In the video, Wang Qikang appears sitting by the train doors. He notices a woman standing close by and glances at her shorts several times. Then he starts touching her indecently.
The victim reported the matter to police on Sunday, according to reports.
Wang told police in Shanghai that he had accidentally touched the girl's leg while he was falling asleep on the train. His eyes, however, can be clearly seen open throughout the incident, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported today. His explanation has infuriated Internet users.
Wang "has been expelled from Communist Party" and Shanghai Jinjiang International Corporation "decided to terminate his contract," the company, one of biggest state-run travel- related enterprises, said in a statement.
He had served as deputy director of the party office at one of Jinjiang's subsidiaries.
The news bulletin also said Wang had been detained by local police for "molesting women in public."
Reports said Wang was identified by web users after the video was posted online.
A short notice on the Jinjiang's website posted on Saturday said the company's party officials were asked to deal with Wang's case seriously and in accordance with the law.
The harassment of women in public for years went largely unpunished in China and victims tended to remain silent.
In recent years, however, video technologies on cellphones have emboldened more people to report such crimes.
