Newz Desk, Durgapur: Did you know that Kolkata is among the least safe cities for women in India? This is according to the latest National Annual Report and Index on Women’s Safety (NARI) 2025, released on August 28. But Kolkata isn’t alone in this ranking. Other cities like Patna, Jaipur, Faridabad, Delhi, Srinagar, and Ranchi also feature among the most unsafe places for women in the country.
The safest cities for women in India: Kohima, Visakhapatnam, Bhubaneswar, Aizawl, Gangtok, Itanagar and Mumbai.
The survey, conducted by the National Commission for Women (NCW), sampled the opinions of 12,770 women across 31 cities. The findings reveal a concerning picture. The national safety score stand at just 65%. Cities were categorised based on their safety performance, with some rated ‘much above’, ‘above’, ‘below’, or ‘much below’ the national benchmark.
Safety of cities, according to the report, is linked to factors such as effective policing, civic participation, gender equity, and infrastructure. Conversely, cities with lower safety scores are often hindered by poor urban planning, patriarchal societal norms, and insufficient institutional response.
The NARI 2025 report also found that women’s sense of safety, particularly at night and in public spaces like transport and recreational areas, has sharply declined in India. While 60% of women surveyed said that they feel ‘safe’ in their cities, 40% indicated that they felt ‘not so safe’ or ‘unsafe’.
Trust in institutional responses also remained low, with only one in four women expressing confidence in authorities’ ability to handle complaints effectively. NCW Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar, who released the report, emphasised the importance of improved urban planning, and stronger enforcement of gender equity to create safer environments for women across India.
