Uttarakhand: After the Women’s Commission, Doon Police rejected the NARI 2025 report and listed the arrangements related to women’s safety

Dehradun has been included in the 10 most unsafe cities in the country in the National Annual Report and Index on Women Safety (NARI 2025). After the report, the SSP on behalf of Dehradun Police held a press conference and informed that the State Women’s Commission has clarified that the survey has neither been conducted by the National Women’s Commission or the State Women’s Commission nor by any other government survey institute. The National Women’s Commission has denied any kind of survey being conducted at the commission level in this regard. Also, the report has been said to be prepared independently by a private survey company. According to the Chairperson of the National Commission for Women, this initiative is a completely independent work, which is not based on crime statistics but also on personal perceptions.

It is clear from the study of the survey report that the survey has been conducted in 31 cities of the country, which is based on Computer Assessed Telephonic Interview (CATI) and Computer Assessed Personal Interview (CAPI). That is, the survey company did not communicate directly with the women face to face. The report has been prepared on the basis of telephone conversations with only 12,770 women. In Dehradun, the conclusion seems to have been drawn by electronic connecting on the basis of a sample size of only 400 women as against the population of about 9 lakh women.

According to the report, only 4 percent of women are using the app and technical facilities. Whereas 1.25 lakh women have registered in the Gaura Shakti app developed for women’s safety. Out of which 16,649 registrations are from Dehradun district only. Also, Dial 112, Uttarakhand Police App, CM Helpline, Citizen Portal of Uttarakhand Police website are being used regularly by women. It is clear that the survey report is not based on facts.

Dehradun Police responded on both points: There are 2 points related to police in the survey standards. First – police patrolling and second crime rate. According to the survey report in police patrolling, the safest city Kohima scores 11 percent. Whereas Dehradun scores 33 percent. It is clear that Dehradun is the safest city as per the survey report based on police patrolling, even above Kohima. In the heading ‘Harassment at Public Place’, the score of the whole country is 7 percent, while Dehradun’s is 6 percent. It is clear that women in Dehradun feel more secure in public places than in other cities. In the heading ‘High Crime Rate’, Dehradun’s score is stated to be 18 percent, which is not based on facts.

Complete data placed before the public: In the month of August, a total of 12 thousand 354 complaints were received through Dial 112 in Dehradun district, out of which only 2287 (18 percent) complaints are related to women. Out of 2287 complaints, 1664 complaints are related to domestic quarrels. Out of the remaining 623 complaints, only 11 complaints are related to sexual exploitation and molestation. It is clear that out of the total complaints related to women, the average of complaints of molestation is less than 1 percent. The average response time of the police in the complaints is 13.33 minutes. That is, the sensitivity of the police towards crimes against women is on priority.

At present, about 70 thousand students from outside states are studying in Dehradun, out of which 43 percent are girls. A large number of foreign students are also studying among the said students. The students are receiving education while residing in Dehradun district in a safe environment.

Work being done related to women’s safety: Women helplines, help desks are established at the district level and at each police station level to hear and resolve women-related complaints. SOS button is installed in the Uttarakhand Police App for emergency situations. Also, a one-stop center is also being operated in the city area. For women’s safety, 13 Gaura Cheetas are also running in the district along with male cheetahs. In which only trained women police personnel have been appointed. Also, pink booths have been set up in crowded places where there is more movement of women and an integrated CCTV system has also been installed. Whose control room has been made in the concerned police station. From time to time, self-defense training camps are also being organized for women. Along with this, camps related to women’s safety are being organized by the district police in educational institutions located in the district and workplaces where women are employed.

100% disclosure of incidents: Women are being sensitized towards the crimes committed against them. They are being motivated to report crimes. All police stations have been directed to immediately register crimes against women and dispose them off quickly. In the year 2025, 100% disclosure of all incidents like rape, snatching has been done.

About 14 thousand CCTV cameras are functional in Dehradun city along with 536 CCTV cameras of Smart City’s Integrated Control Room and 216 CCTV cameras of Police Control Room. With the help of which the police is constantly keeping a vigilant eye on crimes and criminals. Google mapping of all cameras has been done,

Question on survey: Based on the facts, it is clear that it is not fair in any way to put Dehradun city in the top 10 most unsafe cities of the country on the basis of a survey related to women safety conducted independently by a private company. Who were the people included in the survey? It is not clear. There is no clarity regarding the age, education, employment status of the participants in the survey. It is also not clear whether the participants were local residents or tourists. Because the perception of safety varies on the basis of age and lifestyle. While teenage girls may feel unsafe at night on the one hand, working women may have a different experience. Compared to local people, tourists coming from outside states may have a different opinion regarding the security system due to being unfamiliar with the city.

Survey not based on facts and figures: Mumbai has night life. Therefore, moving freely at night is an important parameter. Whereas on the other hand Dehradun is a quiet city. This parameter may not be relevant here. It is clear that the cultural and geographical variations of different cities have not been taken into account in the survey. Keeping the same sample size for every city may not be relevant, because the opinion of only 0.04 percent of the female population of Dehradun cannot be considered as the opinion of the entire Dehradun and a conclusion cannot be reached. The NCRB data of Dehradun shows that the crime rate in Dehradun is less than the metro cities. It is clear that the survey is based only on concepts and not on real facts and figures.

SSP Ajay Singh said that the city of Dehradun has always been considered among the safe cities. This is the reason why along with prestigious central institutions, renowned educational institutions are also located in Dehradun. In which students from India and abroad are studying. There are also many tourist places located in Dehradun, which have a large number of tourists throughout the year. The ever increasing number of students and tourists is in itself a proof of how safe the city of Dehradun is for the general public and people coming from outside states, tourists, students. Also, we respect the findings of the survey. But for policy decisions, it is necessary that the methodology of the survey is strong.