Have we stopped caring? Behind the three Faridabad, Gurgaon gangrapes
Gangrapes don't shock us anymore. Neither does civic apathy. That we didn't think much about the three gangrapes that happened within 10 days last month in Faridabad-Gurgaon is dangerous. We cannot let women getting abducted, poorly-lit secluded stretches, no CCTV surveillance and inefficient police patrolling become the new normal. It needs to stop. We will keep raising questions, calling out indifference until it doesn't.
Predators prowl on the roads of Haryana: Here's what happened
Faridabad, January 13, 7pm: A 23-year-old professional employee walking towards an auto stand was dragged into a Scorpio. Four drunk men gangraped her. Farrukhnagar, January 15, 2 pm: A 20-year-old BA student waiting for an autorickshaw was forced into a car by two men and gangraped. Gurgaon, January 21, 11pm: A 22-year-old returning home with her husband and brother-in-law was gangraped by five men.
The incidents have worrying details in common
The three incidents share a few commonalities. They all happened at secluded poorly-lit spots close to wide roads with no CCTV surveillance and infrequent police patrolling. Interestingly, all the crime locations had a police station nearby. Though the accused in all the three cases have been nabbed, it needs to be questioned why Faridabad and Gurgaon have so many dark, unmanned and unmonitored roads?
Faridabad, Gurgaon police massively understaffed
After the gangrape, Faridabad police have decided to deploy more women officers in plainclothes and PCR vans near schools, colleges and companies with large women workforce. However, as of last month, the city police were short of 1,849 personnel. Gurgaon, meanwhile, had 2,343 police posts vacant as of January-end. But 500 additional personnel will be joining the force after March 31, reported Indian Express.
Gurgaon will get new lights only after July
According to Indian Express, about 54,000 streetlights have already installed across Faridabad. Though the work is underway, completion will depend on funds. Streetlighting might be a bigger challenge for Gurgaon district, which is formulating a two-phase plan for effective implementation. The work of installing new lights will reportedly begin in July after having replaced all existing streetlights with LEDs.
Work on ensuring electronic surveillance underway
According to Faridabad Municipal Corporation, work on installing CCTVs across the city will begin in six months. Currently it's conducting a survey to find out the number of cameras needed. Gurgaon, meanwhile, will take longer than a year to get the entire city under electronic surveillance. Presently, it has only 61 CCTVs at 15 locations between Mini Secretariat, Section 4/7 junction and Sadar Bazaar.
No decline in crimes against women in last two years
Though the incidents of crimes against women in Faridabad have climbed in the last two years, the numbers have been steady in Gurgaon. In Faridabad, 96 rape cases were registered in 2016 and 138 in 2017. In Gurgaon district, 139 cases were reported in 2016 and 137 in 2017. Notably, nine cases have been registered in 2018 so far.
