DEHRADUN: A deeply concerning report from the National Commission for Women (NCW) has cast a shadow over Dehradun, the capital of Uttarakhand, a state famously known as 'Devbhoomi' for its spiritual significance.
The National Annual Report and Index (NARI) 2025 places Dehradun among the bottom ten cities for women's safety out of 31 surveyed nationwide, raising serious questions about the lived reality of women in the region.
The most alarming revelation, and the gravitational factor gripping the city, is the drastic decline in women's sense of security after sunset.
While 70% of women felt "very safe" or "safe" during the day, this figure plummeted to a mere 44% at night, indicating a profound and pervasive fear that restricts women's freedom and mobility once darkness falls. This stark contrast underscores a fundamental challenge to women's autonomy in the city.
The NARI 2025 report, prepared under the guidance of Principal Investigator Prof. (Dr.) Manjula Batra, Senior Professor at The North Cap University, Gurugram, and former Dean and Head of the Faculty of Law at Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi, sheds light on various aspects of women's safety in depth.
Report reveals Dehradun scored a mere 60.6% on the NARI safety index, falling significantly below the national average of 64.6%. This places it alongside cities like Raipur, Chennai, and Shillong with similar low scores, in stark contrast to nearby Shimla, which fared much better at 11th position nationally.
Nagaland's capital, Kohima, emerged as the safest city with an impressive 82.9% score.
In Dehradun, only 50% of the women surveyed considered the city "safe" or "very safe," a figure notably lower than the national average of 60%. A substantial 41% remained "neutral," and a concerning 10% explicitly felt "unsafe" or "very unsafe."
The report further detailed the alarming drop in nighttime safety: while 70% felt secure during the day, only 44% did so after dark.
During night hours, 33% felt "neutral," and a significant 14% explicitly stated they felt "unsafe."
The NARI report further highlights a significant deficit in safety infrastructure, with only 24% of women believing that the city's facilities are "very safe" or "safe" for them.
This suggests a critical gap in urban planning and resource allocation for women's security. Despite this, trust in authorities remains relatively higher, with 59% of women expressing "very high trust" or "trust" in officials.
Harassment remains a prevalent issue, with verbal abuse being the most common form, followed by physical and mental harassment.
A staggering 50% of women reported facing harassment in public transport, 19% in their neighbourhoods, and 13% at workplaces.
Disturbingly, 40% of women chose not to take any action when harassed, suggesting a lack of trust in redressal mechanisms, fear of reprisal, or a tragic normalisation of such incidents.
Only 26% reported to the police, and 19% sought help from others. When asked about reasons for feeling unsafe, 26% of women squarely blamed "city people," 18% cited the crime rate, and 11% pointed to deserted areas.
Conversely, trust in local people (54%), visible police patrolling (33%), and a perceived low crime rate (18%) contributed to feelings of safety.
To enhance security, a significant 45% of women called for increased police presence, 39% demanded better infrastructure like street lights and CCTV cameras, and 21% believed self-defense training would make them feel more secure.
Responding to these grave concerns, SSP Dehradun Ajay Singh assured TNIE, "Women's safety is the top priority for Uttarakhand Police. We are actively working to address these concerns."
He further elaborated, "We have established checkpoints with women officers in busy public places and markets, deployed women's patrol teams, and are verifying out-of-state residents. Any complaint related to women's safety is acted upon immediately."
Expressing deep concern over the NARI-2025 report's findings, Garima Mahara Dasauni, Chief Spokesperson of the Uttarakhand Congress, told TNIE: "Despite repeated assurances from the BJP-led state government, the reality on the ground tells a different story. Women continue to feel unsafe, with the report highlighting glaring gaps in policing, infrastructure, and public trust. This is not a theoretical or marginal concern, but a stark failure with real human consequences. How many more incidents must we endure before the government takes concrete action and delivers tangible results?"