Selja slams state govt over poor women’s helpline response

Congress MP from Sirsa Kumari Selja on Friday criticised the Haryana Government after reports showed that the state police responded to only 5.2 per cent calls made to the Women’s Helpline 181. She called the figure “alarming” and said it exposed the government’s negligence on women’s safety.

In a statement, Selja said the helpline was launched to provide quick help to women in distress, but the low response rate shows a big gap between the government’s promises and the reality. She accused the ruling BJP government of turning women’s safety into a “publicity exercise” rather than a genuine effort to protect women.

“If out of every 100 calls, action is taken on only five, it is a complete failure of the system and a betrayal of women’s trust,” she said.

Selja urged the CM to order an independent probe into the helpline’s functioning and release full details of calls received, action taken and pending cases. She said transparency was key to rebuilding public trust and ensuring women feel supported.

Calling women’s safety a matter of “responsibility, not politics,” Selja asked the government to work with the Women’s Commission, police, and social organisations to improve the helpline system.

She added that the Congress Party would continue to fight for women’s safety and dignity. If the state failed to act, she said, the Congress Mahila Morcha would launch a statewide awareness campaign.