Mumbai Police forms Nirbhaya Squad for women's safety

Rattled by the brutal rape and murder of a woman last week, the Mumbai Police has swung into action and have set up a Nirbhaya Squad for the safety of women.

The incident - which bore similarities to New Delhi’s Nirbhaya episode - has come as a major embarrassment for the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government, which has once again come under fire from opposition BJP.

Mumbai is known as one of the safest cities for girls and women. However, after the incident, the government and police have received a bashing on social media platforms.

Basically a women safety cell, the squads would be set up at every police station of Mumbai.

Moreover, the Nirbhaya Squad will include one woman officer of PSI or ASI rank, one female and one male constable and a driver.

The measure was passed on to all officers and other ranks of the police through a circular by Mumbai Police commissioner Hemant Nagrale.

The `Mobile-5′ vehicle of each police station will be assigned to this squad. Each station has a fixed number of `Mobile’ patrolling vehicles at its disposal.

The Nirbhaya Squads will undergo two-day training. Among other things, they will be trained to collect intelligence from areas where girls hostels, children’s shelter homes and orphanages are located.

Under an initiative named ‘Saksham’, police will offer counselling to the victims of sexual harassment and assault.

The Nirbhaya Squad would organise training workshops in schools, colleges, girls hostels for self-defence. A box namely “Nirbhaya Peti” would be provided in every place.

After the incident, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Home Minister Dilip Walse-Patil met and discussed the issue.

Thackeray himself went to the Maharashtra Police headquarters and held a meeting of top officials including Director General of Police Sanjay Pandey.

The government has directed immediate action against sexual offenders and to file a chargesheet within 60 days.

Pandey has also asked the force to monitor places like railway stations and colleges to keep an eye out for instances of eve-teasing and take action against offenders.

Nagrale has issued an order instructing the force to maintain a list of sexual offenders arrested in offences such as rape, molestation, kidnapping or outraging the modesty of a woman or those held under POCSO charges and to take prohibitory action, as necessary.

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