Women can now carry pepper sprays in Hyderabad metros

Naveen S Garewal
Tribune News Service
Hyderabad, December 5

Hyderabad’s Metro Rail has sanctioned a proposal allowing women to carry pepper sprays on the city's metro lines---the latest measure announced in the fallout of last week’s gangrape and murder of a 27-yer-old veterinarian in the city.

Hyderabad Metro’s Managing Director NVS Reddy, who announced the decision on Friday, said that the organisation had received several requests from women urging it to take such a decision.  

“Pepper sprays are not allowed in metro trains because they pose a fire safety hazard. However, to ensure safety of the woman, metro authorities have taken the decision and also decided to keep a strict vigil in all metro stations,” he said.

The development makes Hyderabad only the second city after Bengaluru to allow women to carry pepper sprays in metro trains.   

As the rape and murder sparked outrage across the country, Telangana Home Ministry has directed police stations in the state to promptly record complaints of missing women and children regardless of jurisdiction.

The decision comes after a meeting between the state ministers and officials. The meeting was held on the orders of Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao---or KCR as he’s popularly called.

Meanwhile, the chief minister has come under growing criticism for his perceived callousness for not having visited the victim’s family yet despite passing the house twice recently on his way to and from the airport on his visit to Delhi for a private function. A video that is currently doing the rounds on social media draws parallels between KCR’s act and that of Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, who passes by a little girl whose house he was going to visit without even acknowledging her.