BENGALURU: A Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) employee with 28 years of service said she had interacted with hundreds of women during her career and most had faced safety concerns, speaking at the ‘Chappal protest’ organised by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) at Freedom Park on Thursday.
The protest was staged condemning crimes against women and demanding safety and appropriate action. Several women shared accounts of domestic and gender-based violence and instances of being subjected to misbehaviour.
BMTC conductor Kusuma said, “In my years of experience as a conductor, I have heard hundreds of women talk about their safety issues. Every government knows the problem and asking women to stay indoors after a certain time is not the solution. There has to be stricter punishments for the offenders here.”
Vandhana Suri, founder of Taxshe, a women’s cab organisation operating in Bengaluru and Delhi-NCR, questioned the lack of action by governments. “We brought the issues here because the governments haven’t done anything. The SOS button in the cabs is useless. Why need chappal and me here? What is the government doing?” she said.
Pushpa Rani, a domestic worker, speaking about alleged misbehaviour by employers at the homes where they work, said, “Misbehaving with us is not okay, please don’t do it. We are not there to engage in your demands. We are working only to earn.”
Women at the protest also demanded that identity cards be provided to domestic workers and that Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) centres be established across the city. They demanded the right to live safely and exercise their rights without fear.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, co-convener Ashutosh Ranka and spokesperson Saurav Das joined the protest and expressed solidarity with the women. Protesters raised slogans of ‘Azadi’ (freedom) and ‘Mahila Mange Azadi’.
