Keeping in mind the safety of Indian women, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has decided to allow all female passengers to carry a knife for the purpose of self defence in case of an emergency situation.
Female passengers will be allowed a knife of up to 4 inch while travelling in the Metro. However, the security personnel on frisking and scanning duty have the right to refuse entry if the passenger is seen as a security threat.
The news comes in the wake of molestation of women on the streets of Delhi as well as Bengaluru on the eve of New Year, and is being seen as a positive measure towards the protection of women.
Bengaluru, the Silicon Valley of India, considered to be one of the safer cities for women, was in shame when on New Year’s Eve women out celebrating on MG Road, one of the most posh localities of the city, were groped and sexually assaulted by groups of men.
It was, in fact, a mass molestation which went on to prove that no city is safe for women in India. This happened in a city where women have long enjoyed a degree of freedom because of safety standards being higher than the Northern cities like Delhi, which has been called the “rape capital of India.”
Reports also came in from Delhi about sexual assaults on a woman on the New Year Eve, when a mob molested a woman in North-West Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar and later attacked policemen who came to her rescue with stones.
Self Defence
It goes without saying that the women in India are not safe. There is no degree of safety while comparing cities. Unfortunately, the comparison is of the degree of unsafe cites in India. We could blame it on the lack of education, poor family upbringing, or a combination of liquor and no control over one’s desperation, but the fact remains that the women in India are unsafe and while the concerned authorities need to take action to safeguard them, the women also need to focus on self defence and take necessary precautions for their own safety.
Here are a few ways in which the women can protect themselves from the gender terrorists of the country. These everyday objects may look innocent but are certainly non-lethal self-defence weapons.
- Pepper Spray– Available at a price as low as Rs 200, this is one lethal weapon which can be used with ease on the attacker. In fact, in case of multiple attackers the pepper spray comes in most handy.
- Knives in Lockets– All costume jewellery shops have these lockets with foldable knives. In case of an emergency, they act as a perfect weapon for even a single sharp cut imparts excruciating pain and will give the woman ample time to make a quick escape.
- Paracord Monkey ball- Known as monkey fist knot, it is basically a solid steel ball obscured under an elaborate knot of threads. In the form of a key chain or a fun toy, any woman having it on person can use it on her attacker, and one swing from it on any part of the attacker’s body will have him screaming in pain, and the woman can make good her escape.
- Ninja Spike Keychain- The spike comes as an attachment to the keychain, which has to be held in a grip in the form of a fist. A single punch from the spike will have the attacker scurrying for shelter.
- Cold Steel Honeycomb Hairbrush Dagger- Remember Vidya Balan using this in the movie Kahaani? The hairbrush has a dual functional. Apart from helping you comb your hair, it also acts like a sheath for the extremely effective dagger that it encloses within. Women using this need to be quick, pull the dagger out from the hairbrush sheath, and stab.
- Ballpoint Pen– The innocent looking ballpoint pen can come in handy as a lethal weapon in case of an emergency. It can be thrust into the soft tissue of the throat, under the jaw line or — in a life-and-death encounter — the eyes. The point also can be driven into a groin or “punched” into the thin-skinned back of a hand.
Women in India are not safe! That does not mean that they need to stop stepping out of the house. Today, they form a major workforce and commuting within the city as well as travelling to different parts of the country has become a normal routine for them.
However, they need to take necessary precautions for their own safety. Apart from the aforesaid everyday objects which can be used as weapons for self defence, women also need to enrol themselves in self defence classes like karate as well as take measures such as keeping emergency numbers on speed dials and keeping near and dear ones informed of their whereabouts.
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