Chennai witnesses spurt in crime against women

CHENNAI: The sudden spurt in crimes against women in the city is worrying residents, with many saying the brazenness of the offenders, even in crowded places, is terrifying.The past couple of days have been particularly disturbing. A private security guard, Ramesh, hurled acid on Riziya, 40, at Kanathur, for rejecting his sexual advances, on Wednesday, only a coupleof days after the owner of a diagnostic centre in Madipakkam poured a flammable liquid on one of his staffers, Yamuna, and set her afire, saying her slackness at work caused him losses. Last week, three men attacked and robbed Lavanya Reddy, a software engineer, near Semmancherry.The murder of S Swathi, hacked to death at Nungambakkam Railway Station in June 2016 by a stalker, the killing of Induja, burned to death in her house in November 2017 by a man whose marriage proposal she rejected, the arrest of Arivalagan, who sexually assaulted sleeping women, the apprehension of Jayaprakash who groped many women walking alone at night. The list is endless.Even the supposedly software industry is not free of people with a chauvinist mindset, said Forum for IT Employees president Parimala Panchatcharam. “They believe women don’t have rights. If they propose the girls have to accept,” she said.The city police say they are doing everything they can to curb crimes against women.“We have increased patrolling and got CCTV cameras installed in many areas,” said a senior officer.