New Delhi, Aug. 28 -- In Mumbai, women are often told that they live in one of the country's safest cities. In Delhi, they are reminded that they live in one of the least safe places. Yet, across both, nearly four in ten women still confess they don't feel safe.

The NARI 2025 report, released in Delhi by National Commission for Women chairperson VijayaRahatkar, is basedon responses from 12,770 women across 31 cities. The index places Mumbai, Kohima,Vishakhapatnam, Bhubaneswar, Aizawl, Gangtok, and Itanagar among India's safest cities, while Kolkata, Delhi, Ranchi, Srinagar, Faridabad, Patna, and Jaipur areat the bottom.

But the rankings tell only half the story. While six in ten women reported feeling "safe" overall, 40 per cent admitte...