Nirbhaya’s parents unveiled a portable safety device for women here to celebrate International Women’s Day on Sunday. The device called Bhavani – which combines five engineering techniques – is all set to hit the market within a month and is aimed at being the country’s first comprehensive portable self-defence device for women.
Capturing the irony of having to inaugurate a women’s safety device – over two years after their young daughter was sexually assaulted and later succumbed to her injuries in the city – Nirbhaya’s mother said: “This day can truly bring in the change only if women are secure in their homes, schools, work place and in public spaces. And for this the biggest contributors are men. They can be the positive change in society.”
Nirbhaya’s father spoke about his desire to see “swifter justice” in his daughter’s case.
“Being called to unveil this protection device for women is a sad reflection of what our society has become. It’s unsettling to admit that women now need safety devices (weapons) to venture out. I believe that young people can be agents of change. If they decide, we will soon have a safer and healthier society for women. Women too need to be alert and fearless about staying protected,” he said.
The device is a 10x1 inch baton which can easily fit into a handbag. It consists of features including a strobe light, non-lethal stun gun, a 10 foot throw distance pepper spray, panic button which when pressed will send five SOS sms with GPS location to five pre-fed members/numbers. An active voice call to the first number, a swiss knife and a two feet collapsible baton are also part of the features inbuilt in the device.
“An inbuilt GPRS will help trace the exact location of the victim,” said Dr. Pavan Kohli, the brain behind ‘Bhavani’. Dr. Kohli is an orthopaedic and joint replacement surgeon working with the international Olympic sportsmen for performance enhancement in international competitions. The device, he claims, is the result of the work of a team of professionals.
“The device will be available within the next 30 days and talks are on with the government and private agencies for its distribution. Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Yogpeeth has already agreed to distribute the device,” added Dr. Kohli.
