India, Jan. 30 -- Out of a total 6,871 arms licence holders in Pune district, only 37 are women as per police data. This, despite the rising crimes against women. While there has been a steady demand for arms licences among men, very few women have applied for them in recent years.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Rupali Patil said, "It is true that women are often victims of crime and need better protection. However, the process of obtaining an arms licence is so stringent that very few women apply. In the district, the collector issues licences while in the city, it is handled by the police commissioner." Furthermore, women applicants must meet the same criteria as men including proving the receipt of threats, Patil said.

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