Women in Himachal Pradesh may now feel secure as the lady cops on wheels are likely to swoop upon those trying to mess with women in the state.
Aptly named ‘Veerangana on Wheels’, the initiative was launched on April 15 this year to mark the ‘Himachal Pradesh Day’. Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur and DGP Sanjay Kundu inaugurated the drive-by flagging off a fleet of 135 dedicated two-wheeler (Honda Activa) riders.
THE OBJECTIVE
Prior to this initiative, women in distress could only reach out to the police by calling on dedicated helpline numbers or walk-in at the police station and wait for the police team to act upon the complaint. However, with the help of this innovative initiative the women in distress with get a quick addressal to their grievances.
While speaking to Indian Masterminds, Director General of Police (DGP) of the state, Mr. Sanjay Kundu said “we have set up a woman help desk in every police station. The lady cop manning the desk has been equipped with a Honda Activa, a helmet, and a personal computer. She will not only hear the grievances but also act swiftly on them.”
BENEFITS
With the ongoing Covid 19 pandemic, the state recorded an ample amount of domestic violence cases since last year. Himachal Pradesh was also ranked in the top five states with the highest crime rate (crime per one lakh population) of several offenses against women, as per the NCRB’s “Crime in India 2018” published in 2020.
In August last year, the state started ‘register no. 26’ at all police stations to maintain a record of crime against women and the action taken by the police on it. By starting the ‘Veeranganas on Wheels’ initiative, the state police department is trying to check crime against women in the state. Mr. Kundu said, “With this initiative crime against women has been prioritized as these women cops will be there to address the grievances of women at any point of time in the day. This initiative has also empowered the women cops who have been given this responsibility. By providing them with a two-wheeler and a desktop, these women would be able to address the crime against women in a much better way. If this process works in a smooth manner and the grievances of women are addressed right and quick, we expect that the crime rate against women will also reduce.”
