Last Sunday, at 9.30pm, around 200 people, mostly women, gathered in Koramangala to walk five kilometres to Indiranagar along the Intermediate Ring Road, demanding greater safety for women in public spaces after dark. The route, which included poorly lit stretches and isolated patches, was chosen deliberately to draw attention to the spaces many women hesitate to navigate at night.The Bengaluru march was part of a nationwide mobilisation in solidarity with student protests in Delhi after a 17-year-old reported being gang-raped by three men allegedly posing as police officers. Another incident that shook the country took place in Bihar’s Jamui the previous week, where a Class 10 student and her male friend were assaulted by a group of men. Outrage also grew online and offline after colleges in Delhi asked women students to stay home citing safety concerns.
Minor acts of harassment can form part of a continuum that leads to more serious forms of violence. We have to start voicing our opinion even if it’s the smallest form of sexual harassment. Let the world see and let the predators know that they are under scrutiny
Sneha, participant
For theatre practitioner, poet and organiser Nupur Saraswat, the march grew out of her involvement with the ‘Why Loiter’ campaign, which has previously organised walks challenging restrictions on women’s access to public spaces after dark. Like earlier walks, the Bengaluru march began at 9.30pm, questioning the idea that streets become off-limits to women after a certain hour. “One of the banners at the protest summed up the sentiment: A man’s day is 24 hours and a woman’s day is 14 hours,” she says.
Men must actively ensure that they do not make women uncomfortable in public spaces. All you can do, is not be the problem
Anuj, participant
It is shocking to note that as the group made its way along the Intermediate Ring Road, several women were catcalled and heckled by men. “In the end, the point of the walk was made by doing the walk,” says Nupur. The experience, she adds, offered a firsthand reminder of why women can feel unsafe in public spaces, even when moving through them as part of a large group.
Even during this protest march, several women were catcalled and heckled by men. In the end, the point of the walk was made by doing the walk
Nupur Saraswat, organiser
For Sneha*, a fitness coach who participated in the march, one of its most striking aspects was hearing people share their own experiences. “We had a few pit stops where we stood and shared our stories. So many people came forward with their experiences of harassment and assault, and some even spoke about how it had happened within their own families,” she says. The conversations reinforced the reason behind the march, she says: women continue to feel unsafe not only at night or in public spaces, but also during the day and even within their own homes.For Nupur, the marches serve as a reminder that such incidents are not isolated events that matter only when they make national headlines. They also tell women that they are not alone, while encouraging people to remain vigilant and speak up about what happens in their immediate surroundings.* Name changed on request.
