Is Kolkata safe? Women, not stats, tell the real story

For years, Kolkata has proudly worn the tag of one of India’s safest cities for women, with statistics, surveys, and civic slogans echoing that sentiment. But recent headlines have forced the city to pause and reflect. From the RG Kar incident to the recent Kasba case and the incident of assualt and molestation in Bhawanipore outside a popular dhaba, a harsh question emerges — is Kolkata truly safe for women? Or is the comfort of that label overshadowed by a darker, lived reality? As the sun sets, the cracks in that narrative widen. Women across professions — from corporate offices and classrooms to cabs and college fests — share a common story of calculated steps, silent fears, and everyday survival.


‘We cover up instinctively, even in oversized shirts’

“We carry this fear all the time,” says Katha Paul, a banker. “Even if I’m in a tube top and don’t need a scarf, I cover up. Not because I want to, but to shield myself from that gaze.” Dona Ghosh, a model residing in Park circus area, echoes the dread. “Baggy pants or oversized tees — the stares, the discomfort, it’s all the same. I avoid public transport and switched to cabs. But a month ago, a cabbie secretly filmed me and my friends, threatening to post it online. I was terrified.” Attire, for city girls, is less about style, more about survival, they say.


‘Quicker, better action required’
“New laws, lot more opportunities, enactments, and rights are coming up for women. But with the recent incidents, safety still feels like an illusion. Criminals often follow a pattern, beginning with unhealthy obsessions and escalating. Parents, peers and teachers need to notice the pattern and address it properly. It’s not always strangers in dark lanes. Many times, it starts at home and with trusted people. Most women don’t even have the helpline number saved — but that’s a failure of society, not theirs. We need better awareness, sensitivity, action — quick response by law enforcement before the next tragedy, not after.”
– inputs by a senior legal professional



Questions unanswered*

Why do I have to be home by 10pm when the world starts partying?
How short is too short?
Why does a safe night out come with a high cab fare?
How big a group should be to feel ‘just safe’?
Who takes care of me once I step out of a pub?
*based on responses of women who spoke to CT


‘We leave events early to stay safe’

For students like Koyel Manna, safety dictates daily routines. “Women’s safety discussions only come up after something terrible happens. But for us, it shapes how we dress, when we go home, which routes we take,” she says. “I’ve had to skip college fests, leave early from events, just because safety always comes first.”
Her peer, Dipjoyee Aich, shares: “I was groped inside a metro, being stared at by someone twice my age, cat-called on the street. Even taking an app cab feels like gambling with my life — drivers ask where I live, which college I go to, and every time, I wonder: what if I never make it home?”



‘We’re on guard, all the time’

“It’s the constant ‘what if’, even in a lift with a man,” says student Oishi Ghoshal. Sunetra Saha echoes this fear: “Harassment & intimidation aren’t confined to dimly lit alleys.” For women in the city, its “constant caution” rather than “true freedom” which defines life.



The vanishing nightlife

Mitali Sharma recalls being secretly filmed inside a Sector V resto pub, a stark reminder of how unsafe nights in the city can be. “The bouncers made him delete it, but what if I’m not lucky next time?” she says. Lopamudra Sarkar, whose daughter works from home. “It’s better this way. Every time she’s out after sunset, I’m counting the minutes till she’s home.” For working professional Sanchari Ganguly, nights demand extra caution — from sharing live locations to avoiding empty autos and keeping her family on speed dial. “After dark, boundaries mean nothing to some men.”




Mapping the vulnerable zones**


Little Russel Street
Sudder Street
Beliaghata Khal road
Lee Road near Bhowanipore
Kasba connector at night
Indira Bhavan to CGO Complex stretch, Sector V
College More, Sector V
BMC area, Kestopur borders
Action Area II & III
Sarat Chatterjee Avenue

**According to women who spoke to CT



When reporters become the story

While on the road to speak to women for this article, team Calcutta Times experienced the very threat we set out to document.
At 9.30 pm, outside an entertainment complex in Sector V, just as our cab arrived, a passerby fished out his phone, clicked our photos, hopped on to a waiting bike and sped away. We had no time to stop him, or even register his face or the bike number. We don’t know if he clicked one photo or more, or where the images may land up. But it was chillingly similar to what Kolkata women endure every single day.