Cops on toes for Gokulashtami
The city police has promised sufficient security to prevent cases of eve-teasing and molestation of women by festive crowds during the forthcoming dahi handi celebrations on Thursday. The police said that it has held meetings with all the leading mandals and briefed them on these aspects, and will also deploy plain clothed policewomen to catch eve-teasers. Mandals in the city said that they too have instructed their members and the govindas not to indulge in such acts.
Addressing a press conference, police commissioner Dr Satyapal Singh said that the police would take complaints from women “seriously”, and immediately act upon them. “The helpline number 103 can be freely used and information on any harassment will be immediately acted upon. Any girl can complain at any police station and the FIR will be registered. We have also instructed mandals to assign volunteers to manage crowds,” Dr Singh said. Trying to restore the people’s faith in the police force, Mr Singh said no such criminal can “escape” the Mumbai police. He made the comment in the backdrop of the recent gangrape of a female photojournalist.
DCP (zone-5) Dhananjay Kulkarni said that he had met will all the leading dahi handi organisers and given out clear instructions to maintain law and order. “We are also posting plain clothed women police constables (WPC) in and around the venue of the dahi handi celebrations, who will keep a watch on suspicious looking men and ‘romeos’ who are likely to pass lewd comments on girls. They will be immediately apprehended and a case will be registered against them,” Mr Kulkarni said. “We have also suggested to install CCTVs at the venues,” he added.
Additional CP (east region) Quaiser Khalid, too, said that women police constables and officers would be deployed to prevent harassment of girls. “The policewomen will be a part of the recently trained women commando force. Girls can also make use of a cellphone application, IndiaOye, that we have developed with the Tata Institute of Social Studies to report incidents of harassment. Some of the leading mandals have been asked to install cameras and videograph the celebrations,” said Mr Khalid.
The mandals, too, said that they have strictly instructed their members to refrain from eve-teasing and are working closely working with the police. Sachin Masulkar of the Om Brahmand Govinda Pathak in Malad (west), said, “We have held a meeting with our members and the govindas, and have clearly directed them not to indulge in such acts. We are deploying volunteers to manage the crowds and prevent such incidents.”
However, Sachin Dhawale of the Jai Jawan Govinda Pathak said his men have never been involved in eve-teasing. “All our govindas are very disciplined, but we still take precaution to prevent such incidents,” he said.
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