In unsafe city, women live in fear

RANCHI: Authorities, individuals and police concede that the state capital is not safe for women at a workshop on women's safety at Ranchi University recently.

IG CID Sampat Meena said, "Women must carry pepper sprays or electric batons with them. However, women should not feel the entire burden is on them and must trust the police to help them."

Almost every aspect which is necessary to ensure the safety of a woman within the walls of a city is in utter neglect here. Peace road, Distillery road, lanes on Purulia road among several other areas, are poorly lit, congested and a playground for eve-teasers.

"It was 8pm when I was walking down from Peace Road to Dangratoli Chowk. Suddenly, my sandal heel broke and I had to walk barefoot. There was nothing revealing about my attire but my naked feet seemed to be a stimuli for all the by-standers who began passing lewd comments. By the time I reached my destination, it felt as if my soul was ripped apart," recollected Monica Lehra, a 22-year-old resident of the city. Monica's experience is one of thousands which occur everyday but go unreported.

The Shakti app, which had been launched by Ranchi police, also seems to have run out of fuel. While the app was functional when it was started, asking for help through the app went in vain as several calls for help by this reporter on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at different times in the day went unattended. SSP Kuldeep Dwivedi said, "We are short of resources and because of that, help through the app is not available 24x7. There are also some technical glitches in the app at times." Upon being asked why some areas continue to be poorly lit, the SSP said, "We have been trying to tell the administration about the problem and I hope the administration does something soon."

"Auto drivers overload the vehicle and women sit uncomfortably with men who are rarely apologetic about it. One driver asked me to get off midway when I complained," said Neena Makkad, a middle-aged teacher. Poor bus connectivity leave women with no option than travelling in autos.