Outrage among citizens over Hyd doctor rape

Outrage among citizens over Hyd doctor rape

PUNE: The brutal rape and murder of a veterinary doctor in Hyderabad has stirred public outrage against the heinous crime. It has once again raised the question of women’s safety in our country.
 
Students’ unions in Pune including Yuvak Kranti Dal (Yukrand), Indian Youth Congress, Student Helping Hand, National Students Union of India, Jagruk Punekar Samiti, Knowing Gandhism, Janata Dal Secular and others have come out to protest against it and have voiced their outrage. 

The student unions protested at the Goodluck Chowk on Saturday.

The protesters have demanded strong action must be taken against the accused.

“There’s a law but the issue is with the societal mindsets and patriarchy. Only legality would not help, we’ll have to bring a structural transformation in the society. The theatre, film, media and schools should play a crucial role in spreading sexual, legal, moral and ethical awareness,” said secretary of Maharashtra Pradesh Youth Congress, Satish Gore.

“When continuous efforts are made towards sensitising and raising awareness about gender equality, such incidents take us backwards. I wonder whether we are living in modern times. These criminals should be strictly punished,” said Kuldeep Ambekar, President of Student Helping Hand.

“Women travel to and fro home after work in fear at night. Every organisation should facilitate with commutation services. Governments should monitor these organisations. Nevertheless, develop technology which can provide toll free location information about any person. Also impart sex education among youths and strengthen the laws against such crimes,” said Sachin Pandule of Yukrand.

Women speak
“I have been working in the BPO industry for past 10 years. I started with Wipro in 2007 and quit the industry in 2018. I have worked in all shifts around the clock. In all these years, I never felt unsafe nor there was any incident that took place where I felt insecure,” said a woman on the condition of anonymity. 
 
She now works as a teacher now. “I have a daughter who is 6 years old. Now, after hearing such cases, I do feel a bit unsafe for my daughter though. What has happened with the lovely lady who was a doctor by profession, is really a shameful thing. Now, I think there should be a movement throughout the country to give death penalty to rapists,” she added.

When asked if they would feel safe without pickup and drop services to and fro work, IT professional Nupur Das who works at Hinjawadi IT Park said, “No, I don’t feel safe without pickup and drop service. I work in shifts. At times, I come to work as early as 5 am which means I leave home at 4.30 am and night shift ends at 4.30 am. I have colleagues who find it convenient to travel in their own private vehicles as they live nearby. But after this monstrous act, it is proven a girl cannot travel by herself at night especially. Pune is otherwise a safe city but how can any city be trusted after such cases appearing time and again?”

Team leader at Tech Mahindra, Shivani Thakur, said, “I travel alone in night shifts as I leave nearby. Police patrolling happens near Hinjawadi IT park. However, I don’t see any police at the highway stretch.”

“Once I was even followed by a man on a two-wheeler at night after work. I observed he slowed down his vehicle and kept following me. I stopped and asked what was his problem, he got startled and left. Similar incident had happened with my roommate too. However, I haven’t felt uncomfortable or unsafe in Pune. This city is far better than other cities,” added Thakur.

Pune’s dark past 

  • 2007: A girl who worked with a BPO in Hinjawadi was raped and murdered by office cab driver Purushottam Borade and his friend Pradip Kokake
  • 2009: A girl who worked with a software firm in Kharadi, was found raped and murdered in a forest near Zarewadi village in Khed taluka on October 8, 2009. She was kidnapped by four men from near her office. 
  • 2017: An IT employee was murdered by a security guard on January 29, 2017, after she had objected him for continuously staring at her.

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