Uttar Pradesh considers Proposals to Improve Women’s Safety

Uttar Pradesh is considering proposals to improve women’s safety.

This would include banning men from cutting female customers’ hair, tailoring their clothes or training them in gyms.

The recommendations, put forward by a panel on women’s safety, appears to favour increased segregation of the sexes as the main solution to prevent sexual assault and harassment of women by men.

The Uttar Pradesh State Women Commission presented the proposals to the state government. It said every member supported them.

Among the recommendations, the commission said only female hairdressers should be available for female customers, alleging that some men use this opportunity to grope them.

It also suggested that men should not train women in gyms and yoga centres, that only female staff should be allowed to conduct measurements in women’s clothing stores, and that school buses should have separate female security personnel.

The installation of CCTV cameras at gyms, yoga studios, boutiques, coaching centres and other places frequently visited by women was also called for.

The commission’s chairperson, Babita Chauhan said:

“It is from the point of view of women’s safety and from the point of view of employment of women.

“For women who go to the gym, my only request is that the gym owner should keep a trainer, but there should be a female trainer too.”

The commission’s proposals have been presented as part of a broader effort by state authorities to enhance women’s safety in public spaces, particularly in commercial areas.

The decision now lies with the state government, headed by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath of the BJP, on whether to implement these measures.

In 2022, Uttar Pradesh recorded 65,743 cases of crimes against women – the highest of any state in India, according to the latest government data.

But given its large population, the per capita rate of these crimes in Uttar Pradesh is slightly below the national average.

These proposals follow a recent high-profile case involving Ekta Gupta, the wife of a well-known businessman who went missing in June 2024.

In October, police reported that her gym trainer confessed to the killing and led them to her body’s location.

It was discovered that Ekta had suffered about 20 fractures between her nose and jaw after Vishal Soni punched her before choking her to death.