Even till 2004, the condition of women in India, whether pertaining to their overall safety or the opportunities out there for their rise in different fields, was not all that great. Even after the enactment of various laws to protect the rights of the women, crimes against them were increasing by the day. It was high time to build a platform where they could share their problems and get some help. The IPS officer of 1978 batch Ms. Vimla Mehra didn’t let them down. Rising to the occasion and with help from fellow officers, she started the revolutionary helpline no 1091 for women. The year was 2004.
Since then lots of water, both clean and dirty, has flown under the bridge. But it goes to Ms Mehra’s credit that her efforts led to many other pro-women measures across the nation. In an exclusive conversation with Indian Masterminds, Ms Mehra, who is also one of the most successful IPS officers and has served in various capacities that included stints in Special Cell for Women and Tihar Jail, talked about her various experiences.
A safe space for women
During 2001-02 Ms. Mehra was posted as the Joint CP, Special Women Cell under the Ministry of Women & Child Affairs. This was her second posting in the cell. It was the time when there was significant spike in crime against women. Recalling those years, she said, “I have been brought up in Delhi so, I was very familiar with mishappening of women. A lot of women wanted to come out with their problems. We needed to have a platform where the females could talk to somebody for help. This was how we thought of starting a helpline where they could reach with confidence and feel safe. I don’t remember properly but I talked to MTL or BSNL, any of the two. They had few numbers and we selected 1091 as it rhymed well and was easy to remember”.
Now the second issue arose: who will listen to the women complainants. Male police officials were ruled out after some deliberations. Ms. Mehra felt that a female official was better suited for the job, since the distressed women would open up more toa woman on other side of the line. Thus, a few female officers were selected and were provided with appropriate training. They were made well versed in the art of patient listening, providing comfort to the victim as also immediate support if it was required.
Recalled Ms Mehra ,“We started with 20 lines from the police control room. In a matter of days, it become a huge success. We helped a lot of women. Many of them just wanted someone to listen at the other end, and didn’t want to file an instant complaint. One of our aims was to project the friendly face of police and show the troubled women that we cared for them. Our initiative became a huge success, and it still is.’’
Self-defence training for the females
Ms. Mehra is the first female IPS officer in India who designed a self-defence program for the women. It was year 1988-89 and she was posted as the CP of Special Women Cell for the first time.
As she told Indian Masterminds, “With the establishment of women cell, female officers reached at decision making levels for the first time. The police started looking at social legislations and we also started investigations of crime against women by the female officers only. We were also got in touch with various NGOs to bring better plans for women. Some students from Delhi University were also attached with us for exposure. All of us were working on concrete plans for the safety of women and at that time one female student helped me design the self defence training program”.
Reaching Out to Women
Ms Mehra mentioned that with the help of then Commisioner of Delhi Police Mr. Vijay Karan, the team was able to design and launch a program for women safety. It started by with incorporating various school and colleges. The team of trainers visited colleges and trained hundreds of female students. However, after the transfer of Ms. Mehra the program went into hibernation. Then, she was again posted in the Women Cell as the Joint Commissioner and Delhi faced a gruesome rape case. This push the department to again start the program and fortunately Ms. Mehra again became the leader of that. It is a matter of great pride that the initiative is still going on and the women cell have entered the Limca Book of World Records for training lakhs of women in self-defence
This is the only few of the stellar of Ms. Mehra. We will come back soon with the second installment of her story and talk about her hobbies and works, which also includes the widely appreciated reformation of Tihar Central Jail.
