Hyderabad, dark city

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On June 9, horror played out in the streets of Guwahati when a vile, baying mob slapped, stripped and kicked a 11th standard girl around until police came to her rescue.

And don’t you for a minute ignore that crime in far flung Assam because in Hyderabad, your neighborhood, 2, 368.5kms away from Guwahati, the reality is terrifying. Statistics reveal Andhra Pradesh stood second in molestation cases reported in 2011.

Of 42,238 molestation incidents registered nationwide in the year 2011, 4849 alone cases were reported from our state capital. Hyderabad is also one of the most unsafe cities for women with 157 cases of molestation in 2011.

On June 28 this year, a class 8 student was attacked by her 20-year-old teacher at a school in Bhoodhan, Pochampally near Film City. On November 16 last year, a 15-year-old girl was raped by a 35-year-old man at the Indo-American Cancer Institute. And just like Guwahati, nights are turning increasingly unsafe.

City women maintain lack of patrolling is the key reason behind such incidents. C. Deepu, a Lecturer at Hyderabad Central University says, “Women are always victimised. I personally found officials ignoring incidents on streets and don’t even take our complaints seriously. The culprits always escape.”

But Hyderabad police still believes women must be more active and like always, ‘more alert’. “Adaptation of western culture is the main reason for these situations. What the west is refusing, we are accepting it. Women should stay aware and alert themselves of such matters and quickly lodge a complaint if they feel victimised.”

Guwahati, where the girl was dragged, stripped and beaten recorded crime levels of 36.9 per lakh (national average is 18.9 per lakh). Hyderabad, with all its promises of a better life, is not far away from that number. Seemingly, the only assurance authorities can give the thousands who walk our streets at night is an advice.

Commissioner of police Anurag Sharma says, “I advise women to be brave and report incidents without any delay.”

Deadly data

Hyderabad

* Incidents: 1860
* Rape: 59
* Molestation: 157
* Eve teasing: 93