Women’s safety continues to be a pressing issue across India. Despite ongoing efforts to improve conditions, many women still face harassment and fear when travelling alone, especially at night. Whether it’s an empty street, a public transport ride, or waiting at a station, women are often vulnerable to unwanted attention or worse.
In light of these concerns, one senior officer in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, decided to take matters into her own hands to assess the ground reality of women’s safety in the city.
To understand how safe women feel in Agra, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Sukanya Sharma went on an undercover mission. Disguising herself as a tourist, she travelled alone at night to test the effectiveness of emergency services. Her goal? To see if the police would respond quickly and provide adequate assistance to a woman in distress.
As part of her investigation, ACP Sharma stopped outside the Agra Cantt Railway Station and called the police helpline, 112, stating that she was stranded on an empty road and feeling unsafe. The response was quick and efficient. The operator not only assured her that help was on the way but also asked her to find a safer location in the meantime. Within minutes, a women’s patrol team reached out to her to check if she was safe, reported News18.
Her undercover mission didn’t stop there. Next, Sharma hopped into an autorickshaw and started a conversation with the driver about women’s safety. To her satisfaction, the driver revealed that the police had recently checked his background and mentioned new rules that would require drivers to wear uniforms soon.
आगरा में एसीपी डॉ. सुकन्या शर्मा ने आगामी पावन पर्व पर महिलाओं की सुरक्षा को लेकर एक बड़ा कारनामा कर दिखाया है। उन्होंने खुद को एक अकेली महिला बनकर सादा ड्रेस पहनकर शहर की सड़कों पर निकल पड़ीं और देखा कि रात के अंधेरे में महिलाओं की सुरक्षा के लिए क्या इंतजाम किए गए हैं।
डॉ.… pic.twitter.com/03OGPvNV7l— Madan Mohan Soni (@madanjournalist) September 28, 2024
Several people online lauded the ACP’s efforts and expressed how such missions should be carried out by police officers in other cities as well. Here’s how they responded:
Need of the hour…
This should be the practice to find the real state of affairs first hand..
— Prabhat Jain, FCA (@prabhat_fca) September 28, 2024
That’s exactly how you find the gaps and lapses and then take corrective measures. Just hope that it’s a genuine effort.
— VP (@Vikramazeet) September 28, 2024
We need more of such officers.
? https://t.co/F8oT0A8iVP— Kavita Chauhan (@findkavita) September 28, 2024
That’s actually the first right step towards women safety. Police in every city should do this. Become a common man and experience the city yourself to know the problems people face at night. Good Job by Dr. Sukanya Sharma https://t.co/Ni3vg1iqW7
— Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj (@DeepikaBhardwaj) September 28, 2024
This is actually the best step ,others should also follow https://t.co/2bl6uum8Rf
— Vandana Singh Rajput (@vandanasingh160) September 29, 2024
More such efforts should be made across the country to ensure women’s safety in India. Kudos to ACP Sukanya Sharma for setting a much-needed example!