Hyderabad: The She Teams that have been recently constituted by the city police have a major task ahead as they want to convert the buff...
Hyderabad: The She Teams that have been recently constituted by the city police have a major task ahead as they want to convert the buffer zones in the Old City, which are most unsafe places for women, into safe zones. Areas like Sultan Shahi, Nasheman Nagar, Aman Nagar, Siddique Nagar, Lalitha Bagh, Valmiki Nagar and Sardar Patel Nagar which come under Bhavaninagar police station limits have been identified as highly unsafe for women.
One of the major problems in these zones is illegal sale of wine and drugs. These areas also have video game parlours, auto stands, hotels, pan shops, grocery shops etc which are being allegedly used by men to indulge in activities like gambling or consuming alcohol. Harassment of women has been reported even during day time. Because of this situation, women and girls shudder to even venture out into the streets alone.
According to a recent study conducted by Shaheen and Action Aid NGOs in the Old City, apart from these areas, trains running between Uppuguda to Secunderabad, railway stations, bus stops, crowded places, public toilets and deserted places are amongst the most unsafe places. Night time proves most vulnerable especially for women who work late at nights and at distant places. Most of the victims primarily belong to Muslim, Dalit and tribal groups.
The harassment varies from eve teasing, rape, abduction, molestation, physical violence, passing indecent comments etc. Jameela Nishat, founder Shaheen Resource Centre, said several cases of chain snatching, eve-teasing and physical abuse were being reported from those areas. She said women vegetable vendors carry cheap liquor and sell them under the disguise of vegetables near residential areas where the wine shops are not located.
Suhasini (name changed), a MBA graduate and resident of Valmiki Nagar, claimed there was no safe zone for women anywhere. She said she was a victim of some unpleasant experiences. On one day, while she was returning home late in the evening, some boys on bikes started harassing her and even tried to hit her, but she was lucky to escape. During her under graduation studies, a known auto driver tried to touch and sexually assault her. “
Harassment does not know any caste, creed, age or color,” she said. The police claim that the current She Teams have now taken up the issue seriously. Additional Commissioner (Crime and SIT) Swathi Lakra said the police would be deployed in all such areas and patrolling on large scale would be taken up. She said they would see that law and order in the Old City gets top priority.
