Women and students gather in Pune to raise their voices against violence against women and demand safer public spaces. (Picture credits: Jignesh Mistry)
Because of violence committed against them by men, for the women gathered in Pune, the question was simple – why should they have to change the way they live.
“It is just the rage against what’s happening around us that has brought us here,” said Saanvi Kamble, a Class XII student from BMCC. Mann said the responsibility of keeping women safe should not rest entirely on them. “I just think that it’s so unfair that only women have to take this whole responsibility of keeping themselves safe, when it should be both ways,” she added.
That question ran through the gathering, even as the emotions around it varied. A protester holds up a placard as women around her raise their voices in solidarity during the women’s safety protest in Pune. (Picture credits: Jignesh Mistry) Not how things should be With placards in hand and slogans filling the streets, protesters call for accountability and an end to restrictions placed on women in the name of safety.(Picture credits: Jignesh Mistry) For many, the protest was about the repeated expectation that women should protect themselves from violence by limiting their own lives. For Saanvi, the focus should instead be on the person committing the crime. She asked, “Why should we be questioned about where we are or what time we are outside? Her words captured one of the strongest sentiments at the protest: women should not have to justify where they were, when they were there or what they were wearing when they are the ones who have faced violence. A protest born out of urgency A young protester joins the gathering, adding her voice to a crowd demanding accountability and safer public spaces for women. (Picture credits: Yogeshwari Katkar) The urgency of the protest was reflected in the atmosphere. The protest was loud and angry, but there was also a sense of determination in the crowd. For many women, simply standing alongside others who understood the same fears seemed to turn individual anxiety into collective strength. There were no elaborate preparations needed to explain why they had come. The conversations, chants and placards all returned to the same question: why should women have to change their lives to stay safe? The protest, organised by college students at short notice, brought together women from different walks of life over a shared concern for safety.(Picture credits: Jignesh Mistry) When private fears became a collective voice Perhaps the most striking part of the gathering was how familiar the fears sounded. Women spoke about calculating their routes home, worrying about dark stretches, keeping track of the people around them and answering questions about where they were and why they were out. What is often an individual calculation had become a shared conversation on the street. Students take the lead as the protest gathers momentum, turning their anger and frustration into a collective call for change. (Picture credits: Jignesh Mistry) ‘It’s a daily fight’
Women spoke about being told to be more careful, return home earlier and avoid certain places, while the responsibility for preventing violence continued to fall on them. The protest was organised at a remarkably short notice by college students, with permission secured only the previous night. Yet, the urgency of the issue brought together many youngsters. For Ramaa Mali, a student from Fergusson College, the answer to women’s safety can definitely not be more restrictions on women. Her frustration echoed through the crowd. You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test Get the latest Lifestyle News and more. Download the TOI app.
Anger against the rape of a 17-year-old girl in Delhi; anger against molestation of minors in Bihar; anger against safety concerns, and frustration against a system that has repeatedly failed the women of the country. At first, the crowd seemed smaller than expected. Voices grew louder, placards rose above the crowd and the street turned into an outlet for anger and frustration.
But as more women made their way towards the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar statue near the Collector Office on Wednesday morning, the mood shifted.