Need felt to give challenging duties to women cops

Nikhil Bhardwaj

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Tribune News Service

Ludhiana March 8

The need to give challenging assignments to women and expand their role in policing was felt at the state-level conference organised on International Women’s Day at Guru Nanak Bhawan here today.

Senior officials of the Punjab Police took part in conference held on the theme ‘Role of Women In the Police’.

Kanchan Chaudhary Bhattacharya (retired), who was the first woman Director General of Police (DGP) in the nation, was the chief guest. She was DGP of Uttarakhand.

She said it was good to see that a number of girls have joined the police force and hoped that the percentage would further increase. She said such conferences would go a long way in providing a common platform to women and ensure their maximum participation in the force.

She said women police officials should be given equal opportunities in police functioning in investigation, law and order and other crucial duties. DGP (Modernisation and Administration), Punjab, MK Tiwari also addressed the conference. He said a standing committee would prepare a report over suggestions from the earlier three zonal-level conferences held at Amritsar, Patiala, and Jalandhar and Ludhiana. He said the members of the standing committee would hold meetings with senior officials to implement these suggestions in a time-bound manner.

IGP, Provisioning, Gurpreet Kaur Deo said women police employees should not hesitate in approaching internal committees if they are facing any kind of harassment from male counterparts. She said Punjab DGP Suresh Arora was very serious about complaints by women employees and he acts swiftly on complaints to provide justice to employees.

IG Deo, who is head of the internal complaint committee dealing with sexual harassment cases, categorically admitted: “Sexual harassment cases are coming to light in the Police Department and there is a need to take serious steps to curb the menace. Such committees have been formed in every police district in the state and Commissionerates, where any woman cop can file a complaint of sexual harassment and the guilty cop will not be spared.”

Deo said recently a woman constable complained against Fazilka DSP for sexually harassing her by calling her during odd hours and talking nonsense things over phone. “Initially, when the matter was brought to the committee, we started probe and the DGP immediately ordered to put off the officer from field duty. Later, the complainant reportedly under the influence of the DSP backtracked and said she did not want to pursue the complaint. The woman cop took her complaint back, but in inquiry, allegations against the DSP were found correct and now, he will have to face the music. Similarly, an ASI of Bathinda is also facing sexual harassment allegation and he has also been put off from the field duty by the DGP,” the DEO said.

Ludhiana CP RN Dhoke said enough welfare measures were being taken by the Ludhiana police for the force. He said he had given independent powers to his team to take swift action to deliver justice to people. “I am always there for my force to solve their problems,” Dhoke said. Director, Punjab Police Academy, Phillaur, Anita Punj; IGP, NRI Affairs and Women Welfare, Ishwar Singh; Ludhiana Police Commissioner RN Dhoke; IGP (Personnel) V Neerja; DIG-cum-joint director, Punjab Police Academy, Phillaur, Yurinder Singh; AIG (CI) Gurpreet Singh Toor; SSP Fatehgarh Sahib Alka Meena and several officials from other districts were also present at the conference.

Major grievances

• SHOs, other male cops use abusive language at police station, say female cops 
• Male cops always take credit for conducting police raids or during arrest of gangsters or drug peddlers 
• Women cops are hardly being deputed as SHOs of police station and they are rarely given challenging assignments considering that women cops are mentally and physically weak
• There should be 33 per cent reservation for women in the police
• Post women cops in the field of their interest such as in cyber crime, intelligence and Organised Crime Unit
• There should be at least one woman SHO in at least one police station in the district and every police station must have women
• Male cops are often drunk during night duties, due to which women cops feel insecure
• Many police stations don’t have basic amenities such as separate washrooms or restrooms for women
• Many welfare measures guidelines sent by the headquarters to SSPs or police commissioners are hardly implemented. Hence, time-bound implementation required, feel cops