Police sell 'taser torch' to ensure women's security

Keeping women’s security in mind, the Gujarat Police have come up with the idea of shocking eve teasers literally. The police have taken the initiative of selling electroshock producing devices following a rise in complaints of harrassment from women. 

For the protection of women, police have begun selling a highly subsidised device. The device looks like a torch and can be used as one but it doubles up as an electroshock weapon (tasers) with a power of 1,000 KV.

The police call it a shock device but technically it is called as an electronic riot device. “The device, when in use, has an output of over 1,000 KV and generates a lot of sound,” said a senior police official. Pointing out the other advantages of the instrument, he said, “Any person on whom this is used can be scared away.”  After 15 college students bought the device, the police have been flooded with applications from various parts of the state. “The applications that we have received are primarily from college students and a few working women,” said the official.

The police are selling the devices at discounted prices to ensure women’s safety and security. The device costs Rs 1,300. However, women can get it at subsidised rates.

“Women belonging to scheduled caste and scheduled tribe categories are entitled for an additional discount of 30 to 50 per cent,” the officer said. The remaining cost, officials pointed out, would be borne by the state government under the police department’s Suraksha Setu Project.

To generate awareness about this device, Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel has already distributed some of them in the tribal areas of central Gujarat. Realising the growing demand for this device, the state police have already placed orders for procuring them from an Ahmedabad based vendor. Sarita Golani, a college student , said: “This can come in handy at such times and the advantage is the person on whom it is being used will not even realise what the woman is carrying.”