Abuse, abandonment: Punjab Police Mahila Mitras helping those in distress

Aakanksha N Bhardwaj

Tribune News Service

Nawanshahr, June 24

Punjab Police Mahila Mitras (PPMM) deployed in various police stations of Nawanshahr have been emerging as a great help for those in distress and are struggling to get justice. At 12 police stations in Nawanshahr, 24 PPMM are deployed to resolve the issues of those who suffer at their homes, be it women, elderly or children.

Most of the problems that PPMMs deal with include women complaining about abuse at their homes, where the culprits are husbands and other male members, or senior citizens complaining about their children abandoning them and indulging in drugs and other malpractices.

Sub-inspector Neelam Kumari has been posted as the in-charge to look after the work of Mahila Mitras posted in the district. Kumari said sometimes strange, unusual and horrible incidents also come into the fore that she had never experienced during her service. “Any woman, child or elderly can call on helpline number 181 and the complaint gets registered at the headquarters in Chandigarh. The complaint is then marked to the concerned district in charge. We then ask PPMMs in those specific areas to go and check the situation with the duty officer and the issue is resolved,” she said.

One of the mitras shared that a girl (15) had left her home after having some disagreement with her parents and she wanted to go to her grandparents’ home. “When she couldn’t find the proper address, she started crying when some passer-by spotted her and informed at 181. This is when Mahila Mitras reached there and the issue was resolved,” she said.

SSP Alka Meena said special measures have been taken to curb the crimes against women. During a meeting with the Punjab Police Mahila Mitra personnel, the SSP urged them to perform their duties diligently and honestly and directed them to listen to the problems of women, children and the elderly and solve them immediately.

“In order to curb the crimes being committed by the Punjab Police against women, children and the elderly, the Additional Director General of Police (Community Affairs) had started a wing under which two women are deployed in every police station. Under the programme, the Punjab Police has issued helpline numbers 181, 112 and 1091 for the convenience of women,” the SSP said.

She appealed to the women, children and the elderly to contact the helpline numbers issued by the police if anyone has any problem.