THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: How safe is the city premises? Morning walkers in the state capital are feeling the heat after a woman jogger was molested near Museum compound two days ago. The incident of a woman jogger getting molested in the early hours while jogging inside the Napier Museum Park revealed that the safety of women went for a toss.
It was around 4.30am that the woman was attacked in the dark corner of the park by a criminal. Though she was brave enough to counter that attack by running after him, the offender managed to escape. Experts said that the suspect should not escape the law of the land.
Dr J Moses, general secretary, Federation of Residents Association of Thiruvananthapuram, said they had noted this issue earlier and had submitted a memorandum to the government in 2019. But nothing turned positive, he said. “The security system at the museum as well as Kanakakunnu is not sufficient. So we are going to file a memorandum to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and city police commissioner G Sparjan Kumar to strengthen the security system. We suggested starting a round-the-clock patrol by pink police to ensure the safety of woman joggers. They should work on a shift basis. This will prevent such incidents in future,” he said.
Kerala Women’s Commission member Shahida Kamaal said the panel will seek a report from the Museum police soon to ensure justice for the woman. She added that the commission will send a letter to the police and other authorities concerned to install and maintain a proper CCTV surveillance system.
“In this incident, the suspect could not be identified due to the damaged CCTV cameras. A similar thing happened in the case of the accidental death of journalist K M Basheer as most of the CCTVs were in a damaged condition. So we need a social environment that is equally relevant for women. Nowadays, women are health-conscious and they usually jog or go for a morning stroll every day.
So it is the responsibility of the police to ensure safety for the public, especially for women, and to walk in the night without fear,” Shahida said. Walkers and joggers flock to the Museum compound as the place offers a smooth tarred circular track which is around 800m long.