Women's police station at Ch'nagar, Hassan soon

A first such initiative in the Southern range, after Mysuru city

Ahead of the International Women’s Day observed across the globe on March 8, here is a piece of good news for womenfolk in Chamarajanagar and Hassan districts. A police station each to exclusively deal with women related cases is being opened in these districts.

Disclosing this to Deccan Herald, IGP (Southern range ) B K Singh said, “In all, 10 women’s police stations have been sanctioned in the State, as per the government’s policy to have dedicated stations for women at all districts”.

Among the 10 stations, two will come up in the Southern range, while the rest are sanctioned for Chitradurga, Tumakuru, Haveri, Bagalkot, Raichur, Bijapur and other districts.

The southern range comprises five districts — Mysuru, Mandya, Chamarajanagar, Kodagu and Hassan. However, barring Mysuru city that boasts of a women’s police station (functioning from the first floor of Lashkar station) set up a decade ago, no separate station for women was opened either in or outside the district.

The station at Chamarajanagar will be set up in the town itself, with all women related cases to be referred to the station. With the additional station, the number of police stations in Chamarajanagar district will go up by 17.

 According to the population census 2011, of the total 10,20,791 population in the district, 5,08,560 are females and 5,12,231 are males. In Hassan, among the total population of 17,76,421, 8,92,754 are females and 8,83,667 are males.

Sub-Inspector cadre officials will head the women’s stations, with the required staff strength of 33 expected to be sanctioned soon. As per the policy, one SI, two Assistant Sub-Inspectors, seven head constables and 21 police constables, besides a male jeep driver will be sanctioned for the women’s station.

However, it will take another three to five years for sufficient women police inspectors to be added to the force, with not much women officers in the department. Till then, such stations will be under the supervision of male police inspectors, as seen in most such stations.

Besides the women’s stations, four new stations have been sanctioned for the southern range. They are: Chamarajanagar traffic in Chamarajanagar town, Mandya central and Srirangapatna rural in Mandya district, Kushalnagar rural in Kodagu district, Channarayapatna traffic in Hassan district.