Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Lucknow
As the cases of rape and murder of minor girls across Uttar Pradesh increase causing a public outcry, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has asked the state police to revive and further strengthen the anti-Romeo squads against anti-social elements troubling young women at public places.
Chairing a high-level review meeting of the state’s home department on women welfare on Monday, Yogi asked the police to run an intensive campaign across the state during June with the help of the state’s department of women welfare.
After assuming office in March 2017 Yogi had set up the anti-Romeo squads–police personnel in plainclothes stationed at public places to keep a watch on anti-social elements publicly harassing young women.
The joint awareness drive on women safety in public places is being conducted before the start of the new academic session in schools and colleges in July.
However, the initiative had come in for criticism as many cases of moral policing came to light where the police harassed couples and even a brother and sister travelling in an auto-rickshaw were taken to the police station for questioning.
To allay such fears, Principal Secretary Home Arvind Kumar assured that the anti-Romeo squads would not resort to moral policing and would not take action against men and women sitting willingly together in public places or in public transport.
In a major initiative to check the alarming rise of crime against minors and young women the state government on Monday made four senior women IPS officers in the rank of the ADG responsible for monitoring and controlling such crimes.
Dividing the state into eight zones each of these ADG-level women IPS officers have been made responsible for two zones each.
PS Home said these women officers would visit their police zones to review cases of crime against women and minors, monitor the police action and progress of cases registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POSCO) Act and keep tabs on the district police.
The officers are Renuka Kumar, Tanuja Srivastava, Neera Rawat and Anju Gupta.
Taking the rising rate of sexual crime against minors seriously, Yogi said 10 top heinous crime cases against minor girls in each range would be referred to the fast track courts for speedy action.
Yogi ordered the intensifying of foot patrolling in rural areas and making Dial 100 more efficient, especially in commercial and sensitive areas.
To check domestic violence, he also ordered further strengthening of the 181 women helpline and 1090 women powerline which deal with cases of harassment over phone.
Yogi has convened another round of meeting to further review the law and order situation on June 12 which is to be attended by all district police chiefs.
Meanwhile, after Aligarh, Hamirpur, Jaluan, Kushinagar and Kanpur a fresh case of the rape of a nine-year old minor was reported from Sitapur.
The police had arrested a 20-year-old youth for the rape, said Sitapur Superintendent of Police LR Kumar.
