She got down the bus at Vannarpet and walked ahead in the direction of her house. It was barely 8 pm and almost 100 meters away from home; two men came in a bike and made a pass at her. They gagged and abused her in the open. Last Wednesday, Anitha SJ, a clinical psychologist, turned the most recent victim to the laxity of state government in implementing proper safety measures for women. While the government is all set to spend Rs 150 crore to install cctv cameras within every 100 meters on city main roads; memoirs from survivors like Anitha points out that basic facilities like working street lights and regular police patrolling is the need of the hour.
“They gagged me in order to stop me from shouting and molested me until they saw the headlights of bikes coming from the other end of the road. They left me there and for another five minutes I felt completely disoriented. I breathed heavily, trying hard to walk. I simply couldn’t believe that it happened to me. I have heard about such things in television, read them in newspaper but now I know how it is to be on the other side. This wouldn’t have happened if there were enough street lights or police patrol,’’ states Anitha.
According to the latest crime statistics, the state government still has a long way to go to ensure the safety of women and children. Almost 907 cases of sexual harassment and molestation were registered in the city in 2017 (till November). “The road was empty and a random stranger pulled my hair and tried to kiss me in the public. By the time an auto driver saw this and rushed towards me to help, this stranger pushed me down and ran away. My husband was very understanding and we filed a complaint in a nearby police station. But all what they could do was to give lectures on how women should be more careful,’’ said a city based special educator who does not wish to be named.
“In most of these assault cases, the survivors are not thrust into the spotlight for long. The police will try to trivialise the matter and deny to take further actions,’’ says activist Radhika Povvaya adding, “I have had a really bad experience with the police, too. The police stood with the man and went on telling me to cool down. Even now, I regret not taking the case further.”
For Geetha Ravi, who is a teacher, passing a narrow street in Bannerghetta to reach home is the biggest challenge she has to go through every single day. “I don’t understand why the government or police do not want to take any step to provide basic safety measures like providing street lights in roads that are away from the city. Every single day, when I walk back home from work, I can hear my heart beat faster and I feel so sad that I have to go through this every single day,” says Geetha.
