BENGALURU: As the entire country shudders after the rape and murder of a veterinarian in Hyderabad, Bengaluru women say safety measures at public places remain a big concern in the city
With time, Bengaluru has changed. Earlier, we would term Delhi as the rape capital of India but what we see now is Bengaluru is no different. Every other day, we can see a news report of a female being raped. This happens because there are no strict laws and men are not afraid. When I walk down my lane in the evenings, I see young men ganging up and they do not miss a chance to pass lewd remarks at women, irrespective of their age. Until stricter laws are enforced, rapists will continue to commit crimes.
— Ranita Hirji, retd Dean, COMMITS, and professor, Mount Carmel College
I don’t get to witness a lot of police force in the area I live in. I usually commute by a two-wheeler as I don’t trust public transport and try my best to avoid them. A few areas in the city are isolated and not safe for women. I travel till my coaching classes in Nagarbhavi Chandra Layout and it’s almost like I carry my heart in my mouth while taking the route.
— Vedika Shivam, 2nd year BA student, Mount Carmel College
It’s safer for women and young girls to travel in groups rather than travelling alone late at night. I am always worried when my daughters go out at night as I feel no cab or public transport is safe enough. Many parts of the city have no street lights and look very deserted, especially at night. The city has to be more women friendly by getting more women police force and female cab drivers to make them feel comfortable at night. We must educate the boys and create social awareness among them
— Devyani Mitra, former principal, Chrysalis High School
Beyond a certain time of the day and beyond certain locations, women feel extremely unsafe and depending on the time of the day, we don’t think we can travel late at night. Women with jobs and commitments towards work find it difficult to commute late at night and think. Proper emergency responses need to be improved in the city. The percentage of women cops needs to be improved in the city as women feel comfortable talking to a woman about harassment than to a man. The city has faced some incidents in the past and has seen the crime rates towards women increase. With the recent incidents taking place in Hyderabad, women in Bengaluru should voice their opinion more vehemently about their safety in the city. I am always worried when I travel alone at night, which is quite often. Be it in the main city or the airport, women feel unsafe across the city. Coming back from the airport, many taxi drivers take deserted, isolated routes which make the woman sitting at the back feel extremely unsafe and scared.
— Tara Krishnaswamy,activist and co-founder,Citizen For Bengaluru, a non-profit organisation
I travel from Marathalli Multiplex to Bellandur RMZ Ecospace by office transport since my shift timings are from 6:30 pm to 3:30 am. I think the number of policemen in Bengaluru is less and it should be increased not just for the safety of women, but also for any citizen to feel safe. Also sometimes, it is difficult to reach out to anyone on the emergency number 100. When it comes to the safety of women I think police patrolling is required at every corner of the city.
— Lizy D, Customer Service Associate, Firstsource Solutions Ltd.