https://twitter.com/mail_today https://facebook.com/mailtoday NEW DELHI, Monday, December 2, 2019 www.mailtoday.in / www.mailonline.in Vol. 13 No. 17| Pages 32| ` 5.00 Airtel & Voda Idea PREPARING hike pre-paid tariffs, THE PITCH Jio ups rates by 40% Longer stint for Ganguly? SEE PAGE 24 BCCI will seekSC nod 3 MINORS CRASH SCOOTER for diluting tenure cap SEE PAGE 4 SEE PAGE 28 IN OLD DELHI, ARE DEAD DELHI REALITY CHECK POST HYDERABAD HORROR Lack of police patrolling, desolate stretches & authorities passing the buck keep women unsafe even 7 years after Delhi gang rape COPCRUNCH, Female-led films don’t get the same financial backing as those headlined by male superstars, complains actor Katrina Kaif. UNLITROADS ‘Women-led films don’t get big budgets’ PUTWOMEN SEE PAGE 18 CAPT WARNS OF‘PAK PLOT’ Punjab CM said Pakistan minister’s disclosure that Kartarpur Corridor was the brainchild of its Army Chief AP ATHIGHRISKBy Chayyanika Nigam General Bajwa exposed its charred body was in New Delhi found 25 km away in nefarious intent. A veterinary doctor an underpass. was gang-raped, A terrible truth is that this could have very well hap- killed and burnt in pened in the National Cap- REPORT Hyderabad on ital. Even seven years after Wednesday night. the Munirka gang rape, ON PAGE safety of women (or lack of THREE The horror unfolded it) continues to be a huge on the city’s Outer question-mark in Delhi. There are 2,000 dark and des- Ring Road next to a olate stretches in the Capital – toll booth where identified by Delhi Police – there were no street which are considered too dan- gerous for women to venture lights. The next out, especially in the evening Police officers inspect the site where they found Amarinder Singh morning, her Turn to Page 2 the burned body of the vet, in Hyderabad. 2 NEWS Mail Today, NewMail Delhi Today, / Chandigarh, New Delhi, Monday, December 2, 2019 PICTURE FOR REPRESENTATION continued from page 1 hours. Such stretches are located around the airport, Metro and Railway stations, malls and even posh South Delhi localities. Multiple civic agencies have failed to install or repair street lights in these dark zones for years now. Expressing concern about women’s safety in the Capital, The root of the 20-year-old Gunjan Goyal, a make-up artist pursuing her matter,be it crime B.Sc from Delhi University, says she experiences a persistent fear against women, every time she passes through children and aged these dark stretches. “I often ride my scooty to go to nearby persons or law and places and drive a car too. But still I feel insecure whenever I order,is a depleted have to pass an isolated stretch or a dimly lit road lit. I do carry a police force. pepper spray with me, but the DELHI HIGH COURT fear lives constantly with me,” said Goyal. Twenty-five of these stretches are extremely crime-prone. Fif- teen of these lead to Metro Sta- Even dedicated PCR tions such as ITO, Jama Masjid, Govindpuri, Dwarka Mor, Uttam vans such as street Nagar, Janakpuri West, Janakpuri East, Tilak Nagar, crime preventive Shadipur, Chandni Chowk, vehicles “Prakhar” Kashmere Gate, New Delhi, Adarsh Nagar, Vishwavidyalaya and anti-terror and Jahangirpuri. The other stretches on this list include operation vehicles South Delhi's Lajpat Nagar, South Extension, Saket, Vasant have been asked to Vihar and Dhaula Kuan neigh- respond to calls of bourhoods. women,especially HC SOUNDS A WARNING in night. A rude wake-up call concern- ing the lack of women’s safety in SHARAT KUMAR SINHA, Delhi came in 2012 when a 23- DEPUTY COMMISSIONER OF year-old physiotherapy intern THE DARK POLICE (PCR) was gang-raped on a moving bus in a South Delhi neighbourhood. It paved the way for promulga- tion of new laws and six new fast-track courts to ensure There is only one safety of women not just in Delhi female police officer but across the country. But as things stand, even the courts are for every 3,236 dismayed by the ground reality. In one such observation on Fri- ROAD women in India and day, the Delhi High court, which has been monitoring efforts to the strength of improve policing in the city since women police in the 2012 case, put the blame on “depleted” police force. India is 7.28% of the “The root of the matter, be it crime against women, children total police.The lack and aged persons or law and of female police staff order, is a depleted police force,” TO FEAR the court said observing why is fuelling the rise in couldn’t Delhi be as safe for citi- zens as Mumbai is. The Hyderabad incident has prompted crime against According to Delhi Police, there are only 10,184 women women. cops in the department out of a total strength of 87,500 person- KUNDAN SRIVASTAVA, nel. The vacancies add up to the police to issue fresh instructions HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST 26,000 – more than double of what the existing strength is. In its hearing on Friday, the Court gave a raft of directions to about responding to emergency calls make the city safer for women Policemen can be and children, and suggested spotted near pickets, that women cops in mufti be deputed at vulnerable locations. employed with a private firm in sometimes switched off," he said. she was found sitting on a pave- but when it comes to Lawyer Rahul Mehra, who was Nehru Place ment near Parliament protest- patrolling,we hardly representing Delhi Police, On their part, the police have RESPONSE PREPAREDNESS ing about crimes against informed the bench that four countered the charge of inade- women. see them on bikes or years ago there was a shortage quate patrolling. A senior officer The Hyderabad incident has, of 61,000 personnel, and now the said PCR vans did intensive however, prompted the Delhi PCR vans.Forget shortfall stands at 52,000. He patrolling of 325 vulnerable Police to shake off its apathy BELATED REALISATION also drew the court’s attention routes frequented by families, and issue fresh instructions to The statistics of crimes against about female cops, to the long duty hours, burden working women and night rev- its personnel in terms of women, maintained by Delhi of workload and meager salary ellers at regular intervals. The responding to distress calls. Police and accessed by MAIL even the male cops that police personnel draw. police control room (PCR) is the PCR vans have been asked to TODAY, paint a shameful pic- vanish in the night. The court then asked the Cen- first respondent to any distress receive calls of women on a pri- ture. Six cases of rape and eight tre to re-examine the issue of call received by the police. “We ority. “Even dedicated PCR vans cases of molestation were filed TANIA GUPTA, augmenting manpower in Delhi have an all-women SWAT team like street crime preventive vehi- every day on an average in the Police and take steps to fill the in which women commandos cles “Prakhar” and anti-terror national capital this year till HR MANAGER existing vacancies immediately. have been trained. This is the operation vehicles are asked to November 15, according to Delhi only such ‘All Women SWAT respond to calls of women, espe- Police statistics. As many as Team’ in India. The team is ded- cially in night,” said Sharat 1947 rape cases have been regis- A QUESTION OF GENDER icated to tackle hardened Kumar Sinha, Deputy Commis- tered by Delhi Police till Novem- Instead of showing Human rights activist Kundan criminals and to combat sioner of Police (PCR). ber 15. A total of 2616 women Srivastava said the acute short- terrorist activities. All Last week, the North reported molestation cases, 427 their might against age of female staff in the police women SWAT person- The East District’s filed a case of insult to modesty innocent students, and women-friendly police sta- nel have been HC gave women's patrol unit of women. Plus, 3104 cases of tions discouraged women from equipped with guns directions to got a fleet of new kidnapping of women in Delhi the police should try reporting the crime. “Just imag- colour-coded pink have been registered. such as AK-47rifles make the city safer ine: there is only one female and corner shot scooters and hel- On September 23 Chief minis- to use the energy to police for every 3,236 women in devices with enha- and instructed that mets to fight ter, Arvind Kejriwal announced India and the strength of women nced night vision,” women cops in mufti crime on the that his government will install round up anti-social police India is 7.28 percent of the said Delhi Police streets. "This is to 2.1 lakh streetlights across the total police. The lack of female be deputed in dark elements so that spokesperson MS stretches give equal respect national Capital to remove police staff is fuelling the rise in Randhawa, Deputy to women officers. Delhi’s dark spots and ensure nobody dares think crime against women,” he said. Commissioner of Police The patrolling is done the safety of women. The police are aware of this (central). “Teams have from morning 11 am to 1 “This is a workable solution for about carrying out chasm. “Every year more than been deployed to keep an extra pm and from 5pm to 7 pm,” removing the dark spots in 800 women will be added to the vigil on these dark stretches.