Commissioner of Police D. Gautam Sawang here on Thursday formally announced the launch of ‘Mahila Mitra,’ an initiative to address problems being faced by women in the city.
At a press conference, Mr. Sawang said the Police Department was poised to make the city the safest place for women. “Through Mahila Mitra, we will reach out to various sections of people at colleges, schools and others by conducting awareness campaigns,” he said.
Mr. Sawang said each of the police stations in the city would have women personnel to receive complaints from women. “We will soon put the contacts of these coordinators in the public domain and women in need of help can call them up.”
The CP said ‘Mahila Rakshak’ action teams had been formed to deal with the eve-teasing and harassment complaints as per the instructions of the Mahila Mitra teams and take action against offenders.
Former MP and founder of Vasavya Mahila Mandali, Chennupati Vidya said though the police and the NGOs played a key role in bringing about changes in society, the contribution of stakeholders could not be downplayed.
Till date, 58 persons, including five minors, 23 persons aged between 18 and 20, and 11 aged between 31 and 40, have been nabbed by Mahila Rakshak teams in the city.
