The murder of techie Rasila Raju inside a supposedly secure office in Pune and that too by the office security guard has sent shock waves through the techie community. In Technopark there is a palpable sense of disbelief. “It has hit us hard because we suddenly realised that whatever safety measures that we had taken for granted all this while just blew up in our face,” says a communication executive at an MNC, who does not wish to be named. “Infosys is a company that reportedly invests a lot of effort into its employees’ safety and security. To hear that such a thing happened inside such a secure space is frightening. I loath to call it a one-time incident. If it’s like this with tightest possible security measures, I wonder what can happen in companies that can’t afford such measures?” asks Jaseena Jaseem, who works as a business development associate at FAYA in Technopark, voicing the thoughts of many of her fellow techies. “I’m still in shock because it defies logic. Our offices can only be accessed with a swipe card and biometric scans and that’s after the initial baggage check at the entrance. Also, guards are posted throughout the floors,” says an Infosysian at the Development Centre on campus.
And that’s just a sampling of what’s going through their minds. Once again, all around campus, safety is the hot topic of discussion, particularly regarding the safety of women techies working the late shift. “Among the biggest concerns for women on campus is the deserted area around the back gate, a favourite haunt of nefarious elements. In the past there have been multiple incidents of hooliganism, harassment, chain snatching and so on,” says Jaseena. In fact, security concerns have become a rallying point for techies to get the authorities to sit up and take notice.
Prathidhwani, a socio-cultural organisation on campus, for example, held a silent rally and candlelight vigil for safety on Thursday, under the banner ‘Safety is First: No More Rasila in IT industry.’ “IT companies are generally closed environments due to legal requirements to protect sensitive, confidential information and intellectual property rights.... Mostly, IT companies rely on private vendors for supporting staff; their quality and credibility is not necessarily regulated by government agencies. This incident also invites our attention towards inadequate standards on verification and deployment of supporting staff and an immediate need of proper regulations in this area,” said Rajeev Krishnan, secretary of the organisation, in a press statement.
Park Authorities hasten to assure employees that there is no reason to worry. At present, Technopark has over 250 security guards on its rolls, including several female officers, who work in three shifts. Plus there are the other dozens employed by individual companies. “Each security guard goes through police verification before he/she is appointed. We are very strict about discipline. If they are caught consuming alcohol on the job or proven to have misbehaved with others and so on, they are instantly dismissed,” says Abhilash D.S., head, HR and Administration of Technopark. “Phase 1 is under security cover 24x7. Also, we have stepped up patrolling of the campus at night by our own security personnel, in addition to police and Pink police patrolling. On that note, outside security does not necessarily translate into security inside the actual offices, which are beyond our purview. Each company also needs to invest in adequate security measures for their employees,” he adds.
Most companies and organisations on campus are generally pro-active when it comes to safety and many are already on the job, reviewing safety features and tightening measures. Realising the lack of awareness regarding complaint mechanisms, a first responders’ Whatsapp group, comprising techies in Technopark, management representatives and police personnel, have come up with a plan to list and display emergency contact numbers and procedures in all buildings on campus.
Prathidhwani, meanwhile, has come up with a few safety suggestions, including making background verification mandatory for all security personnel; setting up of a women’s complaint cell in each company; ensuring that over-time of women techies should only be in the presence of their supervisors and also adequate safety measures and safe transportation for all women staff members who work late hours.
Also, at a meeting of CEOs a couple of days ago, Technopark and Infopark CEO Hrishikesh Nair reportedly laid out a few extra security measures that they are planning, including a women’s compliant cell and widening and lighting the road that leads from the back gate.
Three levels of screening
Technically, there is a three-level screening process to get into an office in any of buildings on campus. First, there is a security check at the entrances, manned by Technopark’s own guards. The second one is the baggage screening at the entrance of each building, also by Technopark guards and finally there is a security check in front of each office, handled by security officers employed by individual companies.
