Lt. Governor of Puducherry, Kiran Bedi, on Sunday declared the union territory sufficiently crime-free for women. Bedi took an incognito round of the city as a bike pillion rider to see if there are any concerns related to women’s safety.
"We must have a motorcycle patrol and a few cycle cops in Puducherry. At least from 11 pm to 4 am every day"
She also urged to people to call up the police and “inform their concern”, if any. The Puducherry police reports directly to the elected government of the UT.
About her night round, she said, “it seemed safe”. But she did not find any cops in the city “unless they too were in disguise”. She suggested, “We must have a motorcycle patrol and a few cycle cops. At least from 11 pm to 4 am every day. These will take rounds inside bus stands, position outside railway station when the last train comes and just do rounds of the town. Also, just be outside any one cinema hall after the last show.”
She has written to the DGP and SSP of Puducherry to implement her recommendations, adding, “We must also have a night officer. This will come in a written order and the night officer will respond to important night calls and the PCR should know who it is.”
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Bedi went out at mid-night on Saturday (August 19) for a round-up of the city.
The retired IPS also explained in a statement why she chose to go around the city as a pillion rider. She said, “It was done in a certain manner to personally check how secure it is for women at night to be on the road, or in a public space. The round indicated the need to ensure police presence with mobility as a strong measure of crime prevention and response.”
While social media lauded her move, the Twitteratti criticised her for not wearing a helmet. However, she responded with a tweet:
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