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If the glorified title of Millennium City accorded to Gurgaon over the recent years gives you an impression of its inhabitants being broadminded and forward- thinking, think again. The phenomenal development witnessed by the city in IT, ITES, BPO, KPO, automobile, telecommunication and garment sectors —along with the corresponding lifestyle changes — has not been able to create an environment where the mind (especially of women) is without fear. Thus, one finds a grossly medieval mindset at work as far as treatment of women goes. The sharp escalation in property prices turned the local landlords into virtual goldmine-owners, and even before they could imbibe the essence of multi-dimensional progress taking place all around them, they had money to burn. The nouveau-riche generation soon took to hip-and-happening places like five-star hotels, malls, pubs, bars, discos and night-clubs, which had come up to cater to the corporate and MNC executives. VIP brats also hopped onto the bandwagon, aggravating the malady. As a consequence of the pub culture, certain points in and around swish malls, multiplexes and watering holes turned into flesh-trade zones, with "business" picking up in late-night hours. The mushrooming of liquor vends across the length and breadth of the town sparked a host of criminal activities, including those targeting women. "Treating women like commodities and trampling their psyche to derive momentary pleasure is the most appalling thing one can think of," feels Ruchi Pathania, a PR consultant. The increasing incidence
of crime against women and the largely indifferent attitude of
residents towards the plight of victims perhaps indicate that the city’s
psyche has not been able to cope with the unbridled materialistic
growth. And, what is worse, most of the administrative and police
officials in positions of authority seem to share the same outlook as
that of semi-educated people.
The directions issued by the district administration and police authorities in the wake of a spurt in cases of crime against women have resulted in a public outcry. It is felt that the knee-jerk reactions are more of an eyewash. The overwhelming feeling is that the authorities concerned, especially the police, should stop patronising the well-off unscrupulous/criminal elements (for whatever considerations). How else can one explain activities amounting to flesh-trade going on at certain pubs in a mall on the M.G. Road, despite the fact that a police Gypsy is stationed right in front of it almost permanently. One has every reason to believe that such activities cannot go on without police patronage. Residents feel that in order to divert the public attention from the real issues, the district administration and police authorities are issuing such whimsical diktats. "The next thing they might tell us is to stay at home, and wear a burqa if going out is a must," snaps Dr Ragini Agrawal, a Gurgaon-based gynaecologist. The city's public infrastructure is so pathetic that you have to see it to believe it. This adds to the residents' woes and compromises their safety. "Not merely crime against women, but incidents of theft, burglary, chain and purse snatching have become the order of the day, which raises serious concerns over the overall law-and-order situation," asserts Nisha Singh, a Municipal Councillor from Gurgaon. She maintains that the police presence in Gurgaon is too low to act as a deterrent for the wrong-doers and there should be at least thrice the number of police personnel posted in the cityfor efficient policing. The police personnel on ground duty should be well-equipped with security gadgets. Well, that could make a difference, but the basic need is to make a sincere effort towards changing the chauvinistic mindset and garner community support for the victims of atrocities. Viewpoint
— Rajesh Gill, Chairperson, Departments of Sociology and Women's Studies, PU
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A large number of girls from lower middle class families are working in Gurgaon. It is a source of livelihood for them and they support families too. With so many conditions and curbs, they might be kicked out of their jobs or employers might have second thoughts before recruiting women. Which is sad because women's participation in the work force is seen as an indicator of women's
empowerment.