Rape aftermath: Delhi cops impose tough norms on BPOs, cabbies

The Delhi police have announced new safety measures to protect women who work at night, following the gang rape of a call centre worker two weeks ago.
The new measures not only encompass employers like call centres, corporations and media organisations, but cab drivers as well.

Organisations employing women at night will be required to drop them at their front door. Errant taxi drivers can be sent to jail and an employer can be charged with criminal negligence.

The police will not only be keeping an eye on call centre cabs but also other cabs ferrying employees of corporate and media houses during night shifts. The cab driver or the employer will be held responsible even if there is no security guard in the cab.

Five men have been arrested in connection with the recent attack of a call centre employee, in the early hours after an office cab dropped her off near her home in south Delhi.

The 30-year-old told police she had been abducted by men in a pick-up truck who took it in turns to rape her. A female colleague who was walking with her managed to escape.

"Our police control room vans will conduct surprise checks and tail the cabs to see whether they are following the norms or not," Delhi police spokesman Rajan Bhagat said. "A woman employee can also directly complain to us," he added.