Gurgaon police have asked women to stay indoors at home after 8 pm in order to curb the incidences of rape in the city which have risen recently. While on the face of it, the curfew may be in the interest of self-preservation of women, it is a regressive move. The move suggests that the city streets can't be made safe for women and they have no right to public space after a certain time. The city police are trying to evade its duties and and shirk responsibility for inefficient policing by forcing women to stay indoors. Instead, they should have offered more active support for women with increased patrolling and fast action on complaints.

So, is the curfew the right step to check rapes? Or do the police need to shake off lethargy and do some actual policing?