THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The IT sector in the state capital is in shock after a woman techie was attacked while asleep in her room at a women’s hostel near Technopark early on Friday. The man forced his way inside and tried to sexually assault her before fleeing when she called out for help. The incident has raised alarm over the safety of thousands of IT professionals, particularly women who live in hostels and paying guest facilities in the area.
A special team under the supervision of the Kazhakootam Assistant Commissioner Anil Kumar is leading the probe. However, the team is yet to identify and arrest the attacker. Police have registered a case of attempted assault and collected statements from hostel officials.
They are also examining CCTV footage to find how the accused entered the building and reached the woman’s room. According to the police, the woman told them she had never seen the attacker before but could identify him if seen again.
The women’s forum of ‘Prathidwani’, welfare group of IT employees, met the investigating officer on Saturday and raised concerns about the safety of employees staying in hostels and other facilities, especially professionals who work late hours. The forum has decided to prepare a list of hostels and paying guest facilities in the area to verify if they are licensed and safe.
“One of the major issues is that many of these mushrooming hostels are not accountable for anything.
They function without proper contracts and only rent out space. We plan to create a Google form for employees to share details of their hostels so that we can verify if the facilities are licensed. This will be done within two days,” said Prasanthi, a member of the women’s forum.
Employees have also pointed out the lack of adequate street lighting in the Kazhakoottam area. “After several complaints, street lighting was improved earlier, but many areas continue to remain poorly lit. As many employees work late night shifts, ensuring safety on roads and at hostels is equally important.
This cannot be seen as an isolated incident. Cases of eve-teasing and similar attempts continue to occur in several places. Expecting women to stay alert at all times is one-sided and unfair when stronger preventive measures are not implemented, given the city is a major IT hub in the state,” said an IT employee.
As thousands of tech employees stay in hostels and PGs around Technopark, the incident has renewed calls for better security checks and monitoring of private accommodations.
