AAP demands security force for city's women

The Aam Aadmi Party has renewed its demands for better security for women in light of shocking incident of rape of a finance firm employee in a cab on Friday night and sought creating of a women security force comprising home guards and civil defence volunteers.

The city’s 12,000 home guards and civil defence volunteers should be utilised to supplement security for women after dark, said the AAP in a statement on Sunday.

“Street lights need to be installed and made functional in all streets of the capital and all pavements to remove dark spots,” said the party, questioning the BJP-led central government if responsibility will be fixed on lax policemen for the incident.

“The shameful incident brings back the horrific memories of the Nirbhaya episode almost two years back and reminds the country about the harsh truth that nothing seems to have changed on the ground despite widespread outrage after that incident,” said the AAP.

The AAP sought “Suraksha Button” on every mobile phone with emergency connectivity with Delhi police control rooms via Wifi.

The party, which ruled the city for 49 days this year, said CCTVs should be installed in buses and bus stand shelters. It also sought bus marshals on every public transport bus.
The AAP demanded better last-mile connectivity by expanding the “grameen sewa”
shared three-wheeler services and e-rickshaw services. The party also sought setting up 2,00,000  toilets for women – 50,000 toilets in public spaces and 1.5 lakh toilets in slums.

BJP’s stand
The Delhi BJP has sought intensified police checking of taxis and other public transport vehicles at night to ensure better security for the women.

Two days after the rape of a 25-year-old woman working with a Gurgaon-based finance company, Delhi BJP chief Satish Upadhyay wrote to Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi, seeking urgent steps to check sexual assaults on women.

Police pickets should check the taxies and other public transport vehicles running in night and when ever women are found travelling alone, the law enforcers should note down the drivers’ details, he said.

The rape is likely to also figure in the 90 corner meetings that the Delhi BJP’s MPs are going to address on Monday.