More than 150 students and professionals gathered near the Dr BR Ambedkar statue outside Pune’s collector’s office on Wednesday, demanding faster action against perpetrators, safer streets, stronger law enforcement and wider CCTV coverage for women’s safety.
The protest was organised in solidarity with campaigns for women’s rights in New Delhi after a series of sexual assault cases, including the alleged gang-rape of a 17-year-old girl in a south Delhi park. Participants said the concerns raised by those protests also applied to Pune, where women continue to face fear while commuting, working late or walking through the city after dark.
Aishwarya Adhav, a 26-year-old IT professional, said Pune had once felt safe enough for her and her college friends to walk at night without feeling threatened. She recalled an incident last year while travelling from Hinjewadi to her home in Wakad at about 10.30pm on a two-wheeler. According to Adhav, a man followed her on his vehicle and repeatedly tried to speak to her. She said she went to the nearest police station to escape the situation, but the experience continued to affect her sense of safety.
Adhav said she took a day off from work to attend the protest because residents needed to speak collectively about the issue. The demands raised at the gathering included quicker action against alleged offenders, enhanced CCTV surveillance, policies that respond to actual safety concerns and stronger implementation of laws already in place.
Bajrang Renukadas Shinde, a 20-year-old first-year BSc student and one of the organisers, said his concern was also personal because his elder sister works night shifts. He said the city police and administration needed to provide safer streets and act more quickly against culprits.
The protest was organised through social media and informal coordination among students. Akshara Jain, a 19-year-old second-year BA student, said she and her roommate, Krishna Pandey, initially posted an Instagram story and received three or four responses. The organisers then spent three days coordinating with police stations across four areas to secure permission for the gathering.
Participants also challenged the practice of holding women responsible for their clothing, location or the time at which they are outside. Aaryan Tembhurkar, a 20-year-old third-year cyber security student, said Pune’s relative safety compared with Delhi did not guarantee security for women in every situation. He called for systems and policies that could address different circumstances and also pointed to the influence of family behaviour and education on attitudes towards women.
The protest’s immediate demands place responsibility on city authorities to improve enforcement, surveillance and the functioning of public safety systems. The organisers’ next steps, including any formal representation to the police or district administration, were not specified in the report.
