Bengaluru Women Battle A Safety Hazard Epidemic; Hear Their Woes

Bengaluru witnessed a 23.9% escalation in reported crimes against women in 2023 compared to the previous year. The Bengaluru Police Crime Branch (CCRB) released staggering data that revealed that 3,260 cases of crimes against women were reported in 2023, with molestation and dowry-related crimes being the highest contributors. 1,135 cases of molestation, 1,007 cases of dowry including 25 deaths, 696 cases of cruelty by husband, 176 cases of rape, and 60 cases of insulting modesty were reported among other crimes. 

These numbers show the demand for urgent attention to the safety of women in densely populated urban areas of the country. The CCRB data makes another jarring revelation-- a 61% surge in crimes against women compared to 2021. How did so much go wrong in less than two years? 

How Safe Do Women In Bengaluru Feel?

The increasing population of women migrating to the country's 'Silicon Valley' for career advancements reveal a positive trend of welcoming more women into the workforce. However, living in a city where crimes against women are shooting up is making them feel unsure.

Avanti Gupta, a 25-year-old graphic designer from Bihar, achieved a promotion and transferred to Bengaluru three months ago. Living in the busy Cosmopolis was once her yearning but soon turned tragic when she had nerve-racking experiences only a few weeks into moving. 

"In just three months my flatmate and I already had to change my residence because a strange man started stalking us near our old flat. We complained to the police and from the next day he stopped bothering us, even before the police did anything, but that experience made us so scared. I almost left all my dreams here and moved back home," she told SheThePeople.

A Reddit user from Delhi had once taken to the subreddit, r/bangalore, to share her unsafe experiences since moving to Bengaluru. Her detailed lengthy post invited hundreds of trolls who began comparing her experience to those of survivors in her home city, saying "Go back to India's rape capital if you feel so unsafe here."

Women all over the world are made to stay silent whenever they utter a single syllable about their bad experiences. Not just in this instance, but in most cases, women's grievances are always viewed with cynicism, with some ever ready to call their woes "fake cries for attention."

Marital Crime Cases Surge

Domestic violence complaints to the police are often taken lightly, activist Brinda Adige told Deccan Herald. She said, "When a woman goes to a police station with a domestic violence complaint, cops turn into counsellors and give suggestions instead of filing an FIR. This has brought down the fear (of committing crimes) among people and many of them now have no hesitation to indulge in domestic violence."

A woman, who did not want to disclose her identity in this article, spoke to SheThePeople about her separation from her husband. "I work as a nanny and housekeeper at six houses to sustain a decent living for my child and me. My husband is an alcoholic and he used to abuse me a lot so I had to get away from that life. It was very difficult at first, as relatives and neighbours would not stop judging my decision and character, but I am getting by," the mother of a twelve-year-old boy said.

"I am not educated enough to do any 'proper' work so I took up this physically laborious job but at least my child is getting a good education. Earlier all the money saved for his schooling used to get wasted on my husband's alcohol but I am taking financial decisions now," she added.

She said that there are "more women than you (privileged people) think" who are suffering domestic violence in the city's underprivileged areas and slums. "Families come from villages to big cities thinking they'll have a better life here but when reality hits, they turn to alcohol abuse and domestic violence to release frustration. During COVID lockdowns so many of these cases came to light in our locality," she stated.

Molestation Complaints Go Unheard

In May 2023, the newly elected chief minister, Siddaramaiah, announced several women-centric schemes promising freebies. This included free bus rides across the State under the Shakti scheme, which was vehemently unwelcomed by transportation workers like bus drivers and conductors.

Ever since the Congress government however went ahead and implemented the Shakti scheme in June, the frustration of the transportation workers is being taken out on women passengers. Ironically, many women complain of feeling more unsafe in State transport buses now, than before the free ticket scheme came into action. 

Lakshmi Rao, a resident of the city, narrated an incident to SheThePeople saying that was the last straw, forcing her to avoid taking buses. "When I was travelling in a crowded bus once there was a lady who complained to the conductor that a man behind her was inappropriately touching her. Without even hesitating or listening to her complaint fully the conductor told the lady to get down and leave if she had a problem and then began mumbling to himself cursing the Shakti scheme."

Further Key Details In The CCRB Report

As per the statistics, 115 of the 176 rape cases were committed by promising love and marriage, 14 rapes were committed by relatives, and 44 by neighbours and other known persons. Reportedly, 3,323 women and 203 girls went missing from Bengaluru in 2023. 441 women and 22 girls remain untraced.

The CCRB data also revealed that crimes against children are surging too, with a 12.4% rise compared to 2022. While the majority (538 cases) of them were filed under POCSO, 40 were registered under the Juvenile Justice Act.