On June 1, a gruesome incident of sexual assault occurred where an Ola driver in Bengaluru allegedly molested a 26-year-old woman while she was on her way to the airport. The driver stopped the cab at a deserted area near the airport, locked the car, and assaulted her and forced her to strip so that he could take photos. The driver even shared the photos which he took on WhatsApp.
On April 27, a woman who took a cab in Greater Noida was allegedly gangraped and forced to consume alcohol. In March 2018, a 22-year-old Uber driver was arrested in Haryana for allegedly abducting and sexually harassing a woman after she boarded his cab.
The Union Transport Ministry is considering asking taxi hailing apps to introduce a women-only option when they travel by Uber Pool or Ola Share. It seems like a good idea, like women special coaches in trains, buses and metros. But will this be enough?
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The government feels that if women can choose their co-passengers or pool with only women, the problem can be curbed. But one feels that this may not be enough.
The whole point of booking a share or pool cab is to find an economic ride to your destination. How will women only pools be a viable option on some lesser crowded routes?
And if the perpetrator of these crimes is the male driver, how can women only pools ensure safety if a girl remains the single passenger in a pool cab? If one considers women drivers, how can one ensure their safety at odd hours of the day?
Ultimately, the issue boils down to the fact that women are not safe, inside cars or outside cars, inside homes or outside homes, in crowded or isolated places. How can the government ensure safety when ladies are raped in isolated women’s compartments, when they are molested in parking lots when they step out of a car?
These measures may seem a consolation, but they are not enough. What is required is stringent punishment, timely justice delivery, and enough deterrent to bring in a mindset change.
