Anti-Molestation Jacket

A shock treatment is in store for those who try to molest women on streets.

Two students of the garment manufacturing technology programme of the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) have designed a unique anti-molestation jacket, which comes with a handy protection device for the wearer if someone tries to attack her.

The jacket promises to give the wearer confidence, especially in the present scenario of rising incidents of crime against women. It weighs only 450 gm and costs Rs 855, including the cost of the gadget.

NIFT Professor Rajesh Bheda says the designers of the jacket, Kumar Roshan and Shilpi Vaish, have worked out its prototype. However, the market tie-up will be finalised only after the patent is registered.

The jacket, dark maroon in colour, has been made of Indian fabric and designed to make it look like a normal garment by blending metal rivets with embroidery.

The electric gadget concealed inside the jacket is capable of releasing a current of 70 to 100 volts and can be activated at the press of a button attached to the waistband. This results in repelling any attack by giving the aggressor a shock as soon as he comes in contact with the jacket. Provisions have been made to ensure that the wearer does not get hurt in the process. The electric circuit, hidden in a mesh of wire attached to the inner lining of the jacket, is activated only when the wearer wants it to. Insulation protects the wearer from any shock.

The two designed the jacket when they were students at the NIFT in Kolkata. They are now working as garment technologists in Gurgaon-based and Faridabad-based companies.

The technology is the one used in the electric baton, developed by the DRDO for the use of riot police.