Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu’s initiative to install surveillance cameras on a pilot basis in select coaches and ladies’ compartments, aimed at strengthening security for women, has drawn a mixed response. Even as the move is being seen as an initiative that will bolster safety, some women’s organisations have called it intrusive and pointed out how footage from women’s compartments can be misused.
Mr. Prabhu said without compromising on privacy, the Indian Railways would utilise resources from the Nirbhaya Fund for augmenting the security of women passengers.
The All India Progressive Women’s Association (AIPWA) condemned the move and said international studies have shown that there is no evidence that CCTVs or the fear of being watched has reduced crime. “The budget speech says that CCTVs will be installed ‘without compromising privacy.’ How is that possible? Already, there is evidence that CCTVs seriously compromise women’s safety rather than promote it. In the Delhi Metro, for instance, CCTV footage of women and couples have been leaked as pornography on the internet,” said Kavita Krishnan.
The association has asked the government to improve the sensitivity and accountability of the railway police, provide service at the press of a button and, specifically, to offer support and respond promptly to women facing harassment and violence. The CPI-ML too has criticised the move, pointing out that CCTVs are also likely to be used to profile and harass women and children from the poorer sections, vendors, trans-genders, and other vulnerable sections.
The move has, however, been hailed by those who see CCTVs as deterrents or have had an unpleasant experience on trains. Speaking to The Hindu , Urvashi Sarkar, a freelance writer, recalled how she was harassed.
“In January, I was travelling with a friend on the Thiruvananthapuram-Nizamuddin Rajdhani when a male passenger became violent following an altercation. He threw my phone on the ground and came very close to me. He might have hit me had he not been restrained by others. Sadly, no TT could be found for half an hour following the incident. There was utter chaos in the compartment. The Rajdhani security personnel were missing.”
