Chennai: “Except for page 3, I did not have the habit of reading other content in the newspapers. But the brutal murder of that young girl, forces me to move to other pages to know what is happening to my city,” said Poorneshwari, a home maker.
“Being a mother of two teenaged girls I am more concerned about the safety of women and the smiling picture of Swathi flashed across the media is haunting me,” she added.
While contacted by Deccan Chronicle, most women reflect the same angst and fears of Poorneshwari.
Undoubtedly, the cold-blooded murder of a 24-year-old S. Swathi and a spate of recent murders that took place in the city have awakened the worst fears of every household. They say that the city has become unsafe, especially for women.
“If such heinous murders happen at broad daylight, imagine the fate of the women like me, commuting after late night shifts. My parents are worried and are asking me to resign my job,” said Shincy Chacko a young IT professional.
Even though there is high security on metro rail, women commuters say they are apprehensive and agonized. “If somebody looks at me twice, I’m worried. I am worried if I am being stalked,” said a woman, who commutes on metro rail.
Many parents said they frequently make calls to double confirm if their children are safe no matter where they are. “I’m not ready to take chances,” said a visibly upset Ramesh Kumar, who came to drop his daughter at Arumbakkam bus stand. After ensuring that her daughter had boarded the bus, he blamed the police for not nabbing the culprit, even after two days of murder.
