How safe is Mumbai for women?

By Monica Chadha BBC News, Mumbai

Marine Drive is a popular place for couples

A former Mumbai (Bombay) policeman has been jailed for 12 years for raping a teenage girl during the day while on duty at a police check post on the city's popular Marine Drive.

The girl was not the only victim in the incident.

Other casualties were Mumbai's reputation for being a place where women are safe and free to move at any time of day or night and its sense of a city with a live-and-let-live attitude.

Joint Commissioner for law and order, Arup Patnaik told the BBC that the audacity and the boldness of this incident shook the police force as much as it did the city's people.

"We immediately carried out an internal audit and adopted the attitude of 'mend them or end them'.

"We weeded out some of the officers as well. We have a zero tolerance policy towards errant policemen and today's verdict is a reminder of that."

However, the rape, in April 2005 was not the only incident reported that involved a constable sexually assaulting a girl.

In October, two rape cases involving policemen were reported within 24 hours of each other.

'Discipline needed'

One involved a constable allegedly raping a girl rag-picker near the international airport in the city.

After a public outcry the police check post was removed

The other incident took place in a central suburb of the city, where a constable was arrested for allegedly raping a girl who used to perform in the city's famous dance bars before they were shut down.

The incidents further dented the already damaged reputation of the city police.

A former police commissioner of Mumbai, Julio Ribeiro, says the cases shows that lower ranking officers no longer fear their superiors.

"For the police force to function properly, discipline needs to be maintained and the fear that they will be punished if they do something wrong must prevail. However, this is obviously not the case here."

Mr Ribeiro argues that there is a lack of leadership at a general level and that until the signal that no wrongdoing will be tolerated at any cost is sent across the force, circumstances will not change much.

'Tremendous turmoil'

Senior columnist Bachi Karkaria believes the incidents involving the police are all part and parcel of major upheavals Mumbai is going through as a city.

Mumbai mother Melwyn Padwal has lost faith in the police

"The city is growing rapidly in all directions, something's gotta give and something is giving in. Mumbai is going through tremendous turmoil at the moment and most of it has to do with its speedy urbanisation."

Ms Karkaria argues that these are "evolutionary issues" that need to be tackled and while everyone is looking at "infrastructure", no one is looking at "intrastructure".

"Nobody is focussing on the social issues or the way the city's urbanisation is affecting its people. That's where the problem lies."

Ms Karkaria also says it is not fair to generalise and say that Mumbai is no longer safe for women.

"Mumbai women are a tough group, they have worked in public domain for far too long to let this affect them and it would take a lot to make them feel unsafe here."

Lost faith

Meanwhile, many women admit they are looking over their shoulders after dark, something they never did before.

Melwyn Padwal is a 48-year old working mother who has two teenage daughters. She says she has lost all faith in the police.

"The other day I was travelling with my daughter and boarded a local train late evening. There was one other woman and a policeman in the compartment.

"I was so scared of the policeman, not so much for me but for my daughter especially after all the cases I had heard about, that I got off and travelled in the more crowded compartment."

Anil Bhatia is secretary of the Federation of Churchgate Residents that spearheaded the public protests after last April's rape case was reported.

He believes the buck ends with the city's resident.

"I don't think we can blame one constable for the deteriorating social conditions in the city. Let's not isolate the case but look at the whole picture.

"Rapes continue to take place and its up to us as much as the authorities to take responsibility and ensure that they don't happen."

Ms Bhatia is still optimistic about Mumbai's reputation of being a safe city.

"Against the whole of India, considering the influx (of people) we have, we are still the safest place to live in."