Safety fears for women in India's metro cities: What happens when you're out in Hyderabad after dark?

Women Safety

Posted by AI on 2025-08-19 10:56:30 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-12-18 06:07:55

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Hyderabad might seem like a vibrant city on the surface, but a recent video highlights a stark contrast at night, especially for women. Explore the city through the eyes of Janvi Manchanda as she navigates the night and discovers a sobering reality.

Janvi Manchanda, the associate editor of Hauterrfly, an influential lifestyle website, produces a segment called 2 am stories. Her recent feature captures the unsettling reality of women in Hyderabad navigating the city at night, shedding light on issues of safety, infrastructure, and public behaviour. The episode shines a light on womens safety in metro cities in India.

Janvi begins her journey at Durgam Cheruvu Lake, which is mostly deserted on a weekday. She highlights the absence of streetlights on the footpath, a significant concern, especially for women walking alone at night. Janvi then takes the Hyderabad Metro, but she is surprised by the near absence of female commuters, and the womens coach lacks a proper partition and dedicated security personnel.

The situation gets more intense when Janvi steps out of the station to find an auto-rickshaw. As she waits, a man on a two-wheeler circles her repeatedly, asking, Kahi chalna hai madam? (Where do you want to go, madam?) The encounter leaves her shaken.

Janvi questions the deep-seated bias against women travelling late, asking, "Women who commute for work are assumed to be something else. How is that right?"

The journey continues through other parts of Hyderabad where men shout from bikes and make inappropriate remarks. She recommends caution for women visiting areas like Necklace Road late at night, especially after dark. As a tourist, you can visit here maybe in the early evening or early morning, but I wouldnt advise coming alone at night, she added.

Her journey took her to Shamshabad toll plaza at 2:30 am. The site is haunted by the tragic 2019 rape and murder of a female doctor, Disha. Reflecting on her experience, Janvi pointed out significant infrastructure gaps. Most of the time, police are not patrolling, and when they do, they lock the city down and shut the eateries that remain open late. It feels like theyre locking people inside their houses, she stated.

Overall crimes against women have risen by 4.78 per cent over the last five years, according to the Telangana state annual police. Dowry-related crimes in Telangana have shown a decrease in recent years, but other crimes, such as abetment of suicide, murder of women, and kidnapping, have seen a sharp increase.

Safety fears for women in India's metro cities: What happens when you're out in Hyderabad after dark?

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