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This city now allows women to carry knives for 'self protection' on metro trains

Can be scary though.

Sohini Mitter

on January 6, 2017

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

In a bizarre state of affairs, women travelling in metro trains in India's capital city of New Delhi, can now carry knives for "self-protection".

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has allowed small knives (up to 4 inches), Hindustan Times reported. Even lighters and matchboxes, which were restricted earlier, have been removed from the list of banned items.

"However, we examine the tools and make an entry in a register so that the passenger can be traced if needed,” a CISF official told the publication.

The Delhi metro is regarded as the city's lifeline with more than 3 million passengers riding on the network daily. Public transport in India is hardly safe for its women, as instances of molestation, abuse and assault are on the rise.

CISF's move seems to have come in the wake of what happened in Bangalore just a week ago, when hordes of women were allegedly mass-molested on the streets despite the presence of 1,500 police personnel.

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