A female police officer in Hyderabad stood on the city’s street past midnight in ordinary clothes to understand the safety challenges faced by women. She was approached by 40 men in a span of three hours, revealing the state of things. Most of the men were either drunk or high on drugs. Instead of being arrested, they were counselled and let off with a warning. Commissioner of Police of Malkajgiri, Hyderabad, Sumathi, stood at a bus stop between 12:30 am and 3:30 am to know how safe the roads are for women after dark. The aim was to know how things were first hand instead of only relying on formal complaints. She came across disturbing behaviour by the men. Nearly 40 men went up to her and made inappropriate suggestions. According to reports, most of them were roaming around after consuming alcohol, while some had also taken ganja. Most of them were students and younger men.
Following the operation, the men were identified and taken to the police station. No complaints were filed against them, and it was decided to let them off with strict warnings. They were also counselled on their behaviour with women in public areas. Women in Hyderabad are impressed with Sumathi for taking such an initiative to see what women go through. The female officer is known for such on-ground methods. She is a senior IPS officer of the Telangana cadre, and went undercover as a Deputy Superintendent of police near Kazipet railway station 25 years ago for a similar operation. She also served as Chief of the State Intelligence Bureau (SIB) before being appointed as Commissioner of Police, Malkajgiri. Sumathi was also involved in the operation of the surrender of several top Maoists led by Devuji and others.
Netizens react to female safety operation in Hyderabad
Reacting to the story, netizens said that the operation reveals the scale of the problem in the country, and that the issue is prevalent in other states as well. A user wrote, “This shows the pathetic state of Police and Law and Order in the country. No state is better than the other!!” Another wrote, “40 men in 3 hours? This experiment exposes the scale of the problem. Counselling drunk harassers is fine for first-timers, but India needs visible consequences too.” The commenter added, “Hats off to the lady officer for her courage. Safety at night remains a national shame we must fix urgently.” Another said to ensure women’s safety in India, men need to be barred from roaming on the streets at night. “For women to be safe at night, India would need a curfew rule for men requiring them to stay indoors from midnight to 4 am.”(WION)
