BJP biggies roll out women police stations on Rakhi eve

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, August 28

On the eve of Raksha Bandhan, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar inaugurated an all-woman police station at Mansa Devi Complex,Sector 5, here today.

In all, 21 police stations were opened in every district today.

The Chief Minister, addressing a state-level function, announced free travel facility for women and her children in Haryana Roadways buses on Raksha Bandhan. “Women can avail themselves of the facility from noon today. Earlier, they were entitled to the facility only on Raksha Bandhan.”

He said that all-woman police stations would instil a sense of security among women. “Women’s police stations will also be opened in small towns and cities of the state depending on the success of the initiative,” the Chief Minister said, adding “the concept has brought Haryana on the world map. BBC News has covered the event”.

The women’s police station will investigate cases stalking, dowry death, foeticide, molestation, sexual harassment, disrobing, voyeurism, eve-teasing, abduction, elopement, kidnapping, rape, dowry harassment, illegal second marriage and abetment to suicide.

Concerned over incidents of crime against women, Khattar said: “Women hesitate to report cases to the police. Since they can easily narrate an incident to a woman, such police stations will go a long way in empowering them.”

Each police station will have a mediation centre to take up matrimonial disputes and the office of the Protection-cum-Prohibition Officer will take up cases of dowry-cum-domestic violence.

Earlier, girl students took out a freedom march from the Mansa Devi Complex to the women’s police station. On his arrival, the Chief Minister was presented with a guard of honour by a contingent of women’s police.

Constructed for Rs 3.62 crore, the police station in Panchkula will have nearly 30 police women.

Sirsa

Chief Parliamentary Secretary (CPS) Bakshish Singh Virk inaugurated an all-woman police station here today.

“It is embarrassing for women to narrate incidents of crime against them in the presence of men. In women’s police stations, they will be able to tell their problems freely,” he said.

Jagdish Chopra, political aide to Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, said it was the best Raksha Bandhan gift any government could have given to women of the state.

Sirsa SP Ashwin Shenvi said Prateeksha Godara had been made the in-charge of the police station.

INLD MP from Sirsa, Charanjit Singh Rori, announced a grant of Rs 10 lakh from his MPLAD fund for installing CCTV cameras in the city.

Bhiwani

Public Health Engineering Minister Ghanshyam Saraf has lauded a state government’s decision to set up women’s police stations in all districts as a gift on Raksha Bandhan.

“The initiative will boost the confidence of women in carrying out their jobs without any fear,” he said after inaugurating an all-woman police station at Police Lines here today. The minister said pink autos that would have women drivers would ply from today.

The police registered its first case of dowry harassment against Lalit Kumar of Bawani Khera village. The case was transferred from the women’s cell of the police.

Kurukshetra

Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Krishan Bedi has said the government has fulfilled its promise of “safety and respect of women” made before the Assembly elections by opening 21 women’s police stations in the state.

He inaugurated one such police station here today.

“Haryana has become the second state in the country to have women’s police station in all its districts,” the minister said, adding more than 1,000 women police personnel would be recruited soon.

Sonepat

Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Kavita Jain today said the objective of opening women’s police stations in every district was to create self-confidence among women. She was here to inaugurate an all-woman police station on the Rohtak road.

“To provide justice to women three ‘Ps’ — police, public and prashasan (administration) — have to make efforts. Moreover, it is a moral duty of everyone to safeguard the dignity of women,” the minister said.

Yamunanagar

Haryana Speaker Kanwarpal Gurjar inaugurated the all-women police station in Yamunanagar on Friday.

He said these police stations would install a sense of security among women and encourage victims to lodge their complaints.

“Women victims generally hesitate to go to police stations to report cases. With the setting up of women police stations, they will do so as a woman can easily narrate an incident to a woman,” said Kanwarpal.

Hanif Qureshi, IG, Karnal range, said cases, including rape, sexual harassment, molestation, stalking, eve-teasing, dowry death, dowry harassment and other various crimes against women would be investigated by these police stations.

Fatehabad

Chief Parliamentary Secretary (CPS) Kamal Gupta inaugurated an all-woman police station here today. “The state government has given a unique gift to women by establishing such police stations in every district,” he said.

He further said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had appealed to men to gift policies under the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Bima Suraksha Yojana to their sisters on Raksha Bandhan.

The CPS lauded the functioning of Fatehabad SP Sangeeta Kalia and said the district had an added advantage that a woman had been posted as the district police chief.

Ambala

Health Minister Anil Vij inaugurated a women’s police station at the district police headquarters here today.

“Women will no longer be hesitant in reporting a crime. The police station will remain open round the clock. Complaints will be heard sympathetically and stern action will be taken against perpetrators of crimes against women,” he said.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DCP) Surinder Pal Singh said: “The police station has 17 rooms and is spread over 15,000 square feet. A staff of 39 police personnel has been deployed, including a DSP, an inspector and two sub-inspectors.”

The women police can be contacted on landline telephone numbers — 2551091 and 2441091 and a mobile phone number — 9729990165. Besides, woman’s helpline number 1091 could be dialed.

Kaithal

Minister of State for Mining, Geology and Renewable Energy Nayab Singh Saini inaugurated a women’s police station here today. It has been constructed for Rs1.6 crore. He planted a sapling on the premises of the police station and handed over the charge to newly appointed SHO Rajwanti.

Kurukshetra MP Rajkumar Saini said he to provide a water cooler to the police station and Rs3 lakh for a tubewell.

Karnal, Panipat

Minister of State Karandev Kamboj inaugurated a women’s police station in Karnal today, while Transport Minister Krishan Panwar did so in Panipat.

Cultural programmes were organised at both places.

The Panipat women’s police station received a complaint on its first day of inauguration, while the Karnal police station received none. In her complaint, a woman from Pasina Khurd accused her brother-in-law of thrashing her and her husband. Both parties, however, sorted the matter at home.

Happy to see women on top positions: TV star

Rohtak: Minister for Public Works, Forests and Industrial Training Rao Narbir Singh on Friday inaugurated the women’s police station here with TV actress Meghna Malik (of ‘Ammaji’ fame). She said she felt happy on seeing women occupying commanding positions in the police force as well as other departments. Appreciating the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ initiative, Meghna exhorted girls to dream big. — TNS

‘One-stop-shop’ to report women-related crimes 

Gurgaon: The much-awaited all-women police station was inaugurated by MP Rao Inderjit Singh on Friday. The police station that will be run by women for women is part of a state-wide campaign to make the police women-friendly and encourage reporting of crimes. A two-storey building in Sector 51 has been converted into a ‘one-stop’ police station for women. Rao Inderjit said, “Our state often draws flak for skewed sex ratio in the country, but this idea to open women-police stations and has caught the attention of foreign media.” Navdeep Singh Virk, Commissioner, Gurgaon Police, said: “It will also house Women RAF Centre with 50 members. This will be a one-stop-shop that will function as a single window for women.”  — TNS

‘Safety punch’ for women in Karnal

Karnal: The police on Friday launched a mobile application — ‘Safety Punch’ — to help cops determine the location of women in distress. Additional District and Sessions Judge Narinder Kaur, JMIC Tarannum Khan and SP Pankaj Nain launched the facility at the NDRI auditorium. “The app available on Google play store can be downloaded by any woman having an Android phone,” said the SP. The application would contain the GPS facility to track the user woman, Nain said. He said a woman could store five to six numbers in this app on which messages could be sent in any emergency.  About the app's working, the SP said a woman had to click the app icon for a while when in danger so that the message automatically went to the registered numbers as well as to the women’s police station. — TNS