Bangalore goes on the defensive

Bangalore goes on the defensive
BBC News

For years Bangalore had a reputation of being far safer than other India cities, particularly compared to those in the north.

The 1,100-year-old city appeared to have the best of both worlds - a cosmopolitan lifestyle blended with old world culture.

Young women rode their two-wheelers late in the night, youngsters emptied pitchers of beer at local pubs undisturbed, and left home in the dead of the night to work their shifts in over 400 call centres.

But all that is changing after the recent murder of a woman employed at a call centre.

Last December, Pratibha Shrikanthmurthy, 24, was on her way to night shift when she was killed.

A cab driver, who had picked her up for the night duty, has been arrested by the police for her murder.

Following the killing, companies, the police and ordinary residents are seriously reviewing their security.

Fear

At least half of the 200,000 employees in Bangalore's bustling call centre industry are women.

Intel office in Bangalore
Call centre companies have heightened security measures

Lakshmi, 25, works at one such call centre.

She begins her shift when the city goes to sleep to bridge the 12 hour time difference with her clients in the United States.

"I used to walk alone from my house and wait on the road for the car to pick me up," she says.

"Now my father or brother accompanies me. And they ensure that a male colleague is there in the vehicle."

The past few weeks have seen call centre employers announce a spate of heightened security measures for their employees.

Pressure from the police, employees and the threat of losing business has forced many to set up help lines, do background checks on transport companies and their drivers.

Leading company Hewlett Packard, for instance, has now installed a helpline for employees to check transport details and phone numbers of senior managers have been given to all if they need to call in an emergency.

Pepper spray sales

With the image of Bangalore as a safe city taking a beating, some people are cashing in.


Demand has picked up. Earlier these cans lay in a corner but now people ask us for it. That's why we have put them out right at the entrance.
Prabhakar K, a pharmacy manager

Rana Singh of AAX Global, a paint company that introduced pepper spray in India three years ago, had a tough time selling his new product in Bangalore.

"There was the latent demand from those who travelled abroad and were exposed to the product. But, sales were always higher in Delhi.

All that has changed since last December.

Sales in Bangalore have increased from 1,000 pepper spray cans a month to 5,000.

Many big and small companies are negotiating with Mr Singh for the supply of pepper sprays to their employees.

Local pharmacies prominently display the product.

In one of the busier plush shopping malls in the city, pharmacy chain 'Health and Glow' displays the yellow cans at the entrance itself.

"Demand has picked up. Earlier these cans lay in a corner but now people ask us for it.

"That's why we have put them out right at the entrance," says Prabhakar K, the shop manager.

Personal safety

Harsha Sridharan, operations head at the Terrier Security Systems, provides security guards and security consultancy to corporate offices.

A call-centre in Bangalore
Sale of pepper sprays have gone up from 1,000 to 5,000 a month

He is flooded with requests by companies to make presentations on enhancing the personal security of employees.

He says the call centres are grappling with several issues.

"Some have decided to deploy female security guards in vehicles that ferry call centre workers between home and office. But, these guards cannot be armed under the law," says Mr Sridharan.

He says the onus for employees' security cannot be placed entirely on the companies.

"Many employees do not follow basic precautions for personal security.

"The other day one call centre vehicle had a flat tyre in the middle of the night and two female employees had to wait by the road.

"Despite having mobile phones, they did not inform their office and waited for the driver to ask for an alternate vehicle."

"Pratibha's murder woke us up," says one call centre employee who did not want to be identified.

She says female call centre employees are under pressure from their families to quit their jobs and find alternate jobs.

But alternate jobs are not easy to find and a large number of fresh graduates and high school students are attracted to the call centre industry precisely because it offers immediate employment with no technical skills required.

A handsome salary of around 10,000 rupees a month ($225 approximately) for those starting out is also an added attraction.

For now, recruiters say, the expected exodus from the industry has not taken place.