The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Training for policemen to rescue mentally challenged persons

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Training for policemen to rescue mentally challenged persons

Special Correspondent

Government Railway Police will enter into a tie-up with NGOs

— Photo: K. V. Srinivasan

R. Sekar, Commissioner of Police, Chennai addressing a meeting in Chennai on Friday. Sarangan, SP, (Railways) and Uma Ganapathi Shastry, IG, (Railways) are in the picture.

CHENNAI: The Government Railway Police will enter into a tie-up with NGOs across the State to provide training to police personnel on the identification and rescue of mentally challenged persons, Inspector-General of Police (Railways) G. Uma Ganapthi Shastry has said.

Speaking at a two-day training programme organised in association with the Banyan, an NGO caring for the mentally ill, here on Friday, he said identifying mentally challenged persons was difficult when they travelled by train and moved about aimlessly on station premises.

Besides lack of awareness, people also had misconceptions and prejudices surrounding mental illness that aggravated the problem of the affected persons.

The police personnel would be exposed to various methods of identifying and rescuing mentally challenged persons on railway premises, he said.

Inaugurating the programme, Commissioner of Police R. Sekar dismissed reports that the police had launched a crackdown on mentally challenged persons following the arrest of a suspect psycho killer in the city. “In fact we want to help mentally challenged persons reach rehabilitation centres,” he said.

Sujitha Rajeev of the Banyan said at least 900 homeless mentally challenged persons were rescued through the ‘Dial 100’ programme which was a joint venture of the Banyan, city police and Institute of Mental Health.

“This is the first time that the railway police are being trained in the management of the mentally challenged. It is important as 50 per cent of the homeless mentally challenged persons arrive by train from various destinations. We are trying to link like-minded NGOs in other parts of the State to provide training to railway police there,” she added.

Deputy Inspector-General of Police (Railways), P. Sivanandi, Superintendent of Police (Railways), M.C. Sarangan, were also present.

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