E-Paper
HT Readers’ take: City Beautiful, reclaim the streets
Even a well-planned city like Chandigarh has not been able to provide safe public spaces for women. Residents say the city needs better policing to rein in sexual offenders. Well-lit streets, CCTV cameras and self-defence classes can make women feel safer, but most importantly, men need to be sensitised about respecting women
Teach boys to respect the opposite sex
To wipe out crimes against women, first we need to sensitise boys. Right from childhood, parents and teachers should teach boys to respect the opposite sex. Also, girls and women should be taught self-defense techniques so that they are ready for any situation. To make the streets safer, ensure that they are well-lit and have adequate closed-circuit television cameras and police presence. Also, movies and web shows must stop objectifying women.
Krrish Madaan, Ambala
Make cities gender-inclusive
Men and women use public spaces differently. Therefore, we need to stop assuming that what works for men will also work for women. To build a safe city, it is important that city planning takes into account the issue of women’s safety. Simple measures such as shifting a bus stop by a few metres to a safer location and installing streetlights and CCTVs on isolated stretches can go a long way in ensuring women’s safety.
Vineet Gandhi, Chandigarh
Need sustained efforts to wipe out the menace
The moral character of the nation has been eroding and men with loose morals take pride in harassing women. To check this menace, sustained efforts are required on the law-enforcement front. Policing needs to be enhanced in the city and the public must be encouraged to intervene whenever they see any wrongdoing. Women, too, must be trained in self-defense so as that they can fight back sexual harassment and also report the culprits to the police.
Kidar Nath Sharma, Chandigarh
Proactive policing, harsher punishment for offenders
Crimes such as molestation, street harassment etc continue unabated because there aren’t enough police personnel on the ground and politicians don’t seem to take women’s issues seriously. We need harsher punishment for those indulging in crimes against women and more police presence around the city so as to instill a sense of safety among women.
SC Luthra, Chandigarh
Nip the menace in the bud
Women’s harassment is largely prevalent due to poor upbringing of boys. We need to catch them young and teach them the importance of respecting women and girls. For those from the current generation who take pleasure in harassing women, strict punishment is the only way out. Even in the recent case of molestation of the UK diplomat, the man nabbed for molestation was found to have done the same with other women. Had he been caught and put behind bars after the first instance itself, other women would have been spared the agony.
AK Sharma, Chandigarh
Instill fear in sexual offenders
It is unfortunate that sexual harassment is so prevalent in our world that every woman has faced it at some point in her life. We should no longer turn a blind eye to it and must take active measures to make public spaces safer for women. For starters, we need functional streetlights and closed-circuit television cameras in all corners of the city to instill a sense of fear in anti-social elements. Police need to intensify patrolling in crime-prone spots as well as other areas. Women of all age-groups must undergo self-defense training. And lastly, we need harsher punishment against such crimes.
Prabhjot Nagpal, Zirakpur
No lessons learnt from previous instances
It’s disturbing to know that yet another woman, this time a UK diplomat in the city, has faced sexual harassment on the city’s streets. Unfortunately, this is not the first such instance in Chandigarh. While the latest incident took place in the posh residential area of Sector 10, we have heard of similar incidents in other parts of the city too. In December 2019, a woman journalist had faced a similar experience during her morning walk at the PU Botanical Garden. On the same day, young girl, on her way to tuitions, was manhandled by a youth in the forest area behind PEC. In 2017, Varnika Kundu, a disc jockey, was stalked on the city roads. It just goes on to reiterate that despite several instances, the police and administration have taken no steps to correct the problem areas. UT police boasts of maintaining law and order on city streets but clearly, their claims are a sham.
Sanjay Chopra, Mohali
Safe public transport
As our country is entering a new decade with a plan to rebuild economy and push forward green initiatives, it’s time we also introduce the concept of good public transport (metro, monorail etc) in the tricity region. This will encompass the issue of women’s safety too, making them empowered. Tricity women are forced to shell out extra on private cabs etc as instances of harassment in autos etc have left them with no other option.
S Krishnamurthi, Mohali
Self-defence classes for all women
We need to empower women and self-defence classes are one way to go about it. Self-defence trainings must be imparted in schools, colleges and universities to make girls more confident about tackling harassment. We need to train women and girls to speak up and fight back harassment. The onus is also on the members of the public to come out in support of women facing any kind of harassment. It’s only when we hit back that the offenders would be scared of attempting anything similar in the future.
Garv Bhupesh, Panchkula
Not the ‘weaker sex’
First and foremost, we need to stop referring to women as the weaker sex. Women should be trained to be bold, self-reliant and confident. Self-defense classes will go a long way in this. We need to empower women to speak up against instances of sexual harassment. Silence has never helped anyone. Police need to be more sensitive to the problems faced by women and our judiciary must penalise the offenders heavily so that no man dares to repeat such an action again.
Anju Mohan, Panchkula
A safe city?
Chandigarh is known to be one of the safest cities in North India, yet we get to hear of cases such as the one involving the UK diplomat. In a city like Chandigarh, there should be no place for street harassment. Sadly, every time we hear of such an incident, there is rage at first, hue and cry in the media, face-saving announcements by the police and administration but eventually it all dies down, until something similar happens again. Though we have stringent laws, its implementation is poor. Higher conviction rates can instill a sense of fear in anti-social elements.
Avinash Goyal, Chandigarh
A blot on City Beautiful
The recent incident of molestation of a UK diplomat on the city’s streets is a blot on the City Beautiful’s name. Even more shameful that many girls don’t have a safe space inside their own homes. The age-old patriarchy is to be blamed for the regressive state of affairs. It is sad that most women and girls are unable to be even speak up against such harassment due to the stigma attached. The need of the hour is a mindset change and concerted efforts at empowering women. Law enforcement agencies must also play an active role in bringing to book the perpetrators so that women and girls feel more confident about speaking out about such harassment.
Usha Verma,Chandigarh
Increase security at vulnerable spots
Women’s safety is of paramount importance in the tricity, but still every now and then, we hear about instances of harassment on the city’s streets. It is high time that we educate the city’s youth. NGOs and social organisations can play a great role in educating the youth on women’s safety. At the same time, authorities must create awareness on women’s safety through ads and in newspaper on women safety & security. High-definition CCTV cameras should be installed at vulnerable isolated points for reining in on such criminals.
Col TBS Bedi, Mohali
Don’t let culprits go scot-free
Though it may not be possible to wipe out anti-social elements from the society, it depends on the law-enforcement agencies, how they are controlled. Police must keep a vigilant eye on all vulnerable spots in the city and lay out an effective plan to nab the perpetrators and bring them to book. Police personnel in plain clothes can also go a long way in ensuring that such miscreants can’t get away after a crime. The culprits, no matter how influential, should not be spared at any cost.
Surinder Paul Wadhwa, Mohali
Girls, raise your voice
It is the laxity of the judicial system that is to be blamed for the emboldening stalkers and molesters. Women sometimes fear to go out in public spaces for fear of such harassment. Worse still, women don’t even feel safe to go report to the police. The reason for this is not just the unfriendly and rude behaviour of cops, but also the fact that the cases tend to linger on, draining the complainants of time, money and energy. The need of the hour is speedy disposal of such cases and also sensitive police force. Last but not the least, we need to break the stigma and empower women to speak up.
Abhilasha Gupta, Mohali
Effective women’s helplines
Chandigarh is widely renowned as a safe city but recent instances of crimes against women have rattled this belief. To make the city safe for women, police should patrol external as well as internal roads 24/7. Hidden CCTV cameras should be installed on city roads. Police helpline should be made more effective. Only vigilant cops should be recruited by experienced recruiters. There should be security in markets, hotels and restaurants.
Saikrit Gulati, Chandigarh
Fast, effective process to catch culprits
The man who molested the UK diplomat was found to have molested several other women, but none came forward. Had he been caught and put behind bars after the first offence, he could not have done it to other women. To ensure women don’t hesitate to approach the police when they face harassment, we need more women-only police stations. Introduction of special women-only buses to educational institutions, deployment of more women constables in plain clothes at public places, awareness drives to ensure sexual harassment panels in all organisations, more CCTV cameras at public places, easy access to the IT cell to register complaints pertaining to growing social media and IT-based crimes are the need of the hour. Fast and effective processes to catch men harassing women in public places, are also needed.
Vijay Malia, Chandigarh
Girls, fight back
Unfortunately, we live in a society where all women can recount of some horrific instance of sexual harassment that occurred at some point in their life. While police and administration can take steps such as ensuring well-lit road, CCTV cameras and more boots on the ground, women cannot be fully dependent on law-enforcement. They need to train themselves to be stronger and able to defend themselves. Little steps like, carrying a pepper spray, etc can help if one finds oneself in an unsafe place. Self-defense classes too can prove beneficial.
Ishita Nara, via email
Empower women to raise their voice
The recent case of molestation of a UK diplomat in Sector 10 is a matter of grave concern. To make Tricity safer, we need frequent police patrolling, installation of more CCTVs, strict law enforcement so that no one can dare to behave in such a way. Women should be made aware of their rights and be encouraged to raise their voice against such incidents.
Sandeep Rawat, Chandigarh
Instil fear in sexual offenders
It is unfortunate that sexual harassment is so prevalent in our world that every woman has faced it at some point in her life. We should no longer turn a blind eye to it and must take active measures to make public spaces safer for women. For starters, we need functional streetlights and closed-circuit television cameras in all corners of the city to instill a sense of fear in anti-social elements. Police need to intensify patrolling in crime-prone spots as well as other areas. Women of all age-groups must undergo self-defense training. And lastly, we need harsher punishment against such crimes.
Prabhjot Nagpal, Zirakpur
Collective action required
To make cities safer for women, a collective action by authorities and citizens is required. Police patrolling must be intensified and the public must be encouraged to intervene when they see women being harassed. A timely response can stop sexual perpetrators on their tracks.
Subhash Nagpal, Zirakpur
Require meaningful social change
Every day, we hear about women being molested, kidnapped, raped and killed. The molestation of a UK diplomat in Chandigarh is yet another blot on the city claim of being a safe city. In the absence of meaningful social change, measures such as special banks for women, etc are mere tokenism. The civil society cannot escape its responsibility of fostering genuine gender justice. No amount of alteration in the legal system will deliver unless it is supported by the sanction of society.
SK Khosla, Chandigarh
Safety audit of public spaces
The authorities must carry out a urgent audit of women’s safety parameters in public spaces and taking corrective steps, such as better vigil, CCTV surveillance and faster crime detection mechanism. To instil fear in the minds of culprits, harsher laws are required.
Subhash Chugh, via email
Prompt police action
Even though sexual harassment is so prevalent, police aren’t proactive and in some cases, action is not taken for years on. In the case of the diplomat, Chandigarh police has shown its efficiency and promptness. The same attitude must be shown even when the victim isn’t from an influential background.
RK Garg, Chandigarh
Break the stigma
Prolonged legal procedures and public stigma discourages women from coming forward to file complaint of sexual harassment. Fast-track courts and harsher punishments for culprits can help change that to a large extent. Apart from that we also need to change the mindset of our youth and teach them to respect women.
Sqn Ldr Manjit Singh Johar (retd), Chandigarh
Need more boots on the ground
Crimes against women in Chandigarh’s public spaces highlight the misplaced priorities of the UT police. It puts too much emphasis on penalising erring motorists rather than reining in hooliganism and street crime. There is no sensitisation of any sort. Also, huge contingents by way of gypsy escorts are deployed for the top police brass/administration. That should be drastically pruned to deploy more cops on the beat system. Had it not been for a British envoy, her molestation would have gone unnoticed as another stray routine incident. Nor would the police have bothered to register an FIR. It is a wake-up call for the Chandigarh Police to live up to its ‘we care for you’ motto.
Ranjit Malhotra, Chandigarh
Expert take
Safe spaces
Women’s helpline numbers should be made more visible, streets should be well lit and the city should have a few spots where female cops are stationed 24/7 so women know where to turn for help.
Varnika Kundu, Panchkula-based disc jockey
Awareness
Need awareness campaigns at schools, colleges and universities to tell women about helpline numbers and also encourage them to immediately come forward and inform the police about any harassment they face.
Manvir Singh Bajwa, DSP, crimes against women, Mohali
Sensitisation
We need to bring more awareness and be cautious of our surroundings. At the same time, we need to have more women cells, policing and vigilance. As a sociologist, I can say that more counselling is required at the family and society levels for gender sensitisation.
Rani Mehta, head department of sociology, Panjab University
Self-defence
It should be a collective approach of both citizens and police. Women should make themselves mentally and physically fit for self-defence. CCTV coverage needs to be increased and there should be immediate response to distress calls on helpline numbers.
Mamta Sodha, ACP, Panchkula
Patrolling
The Cheetah squad, apart from routine PCR vehicles, has been deployed to patrol vulnerable areas. We also provide pick-and-drop facilities for women commuting during night hours.
Ketan Bansal, superintendent of police, Chandigarh
