Pradeep Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 28

In a bid to increase women-friendliness after being castigated for low sex ratio and soaring crime graph, the Haryana Government today inaugurated all-women police stations at all 21 districts of the state.

Three union ministers — Birender Singh (Jind), Rao Inderjit Singh (Gurgaon) and Krishan Pal Gurjar (Faridabad) hailing from the state, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and state ministers inaugurated the police stations aimed at empowering women on the eve of Raksha Bandhan.

After inaugurating the Panchkula police station, Khattar announced the state government’s intention to replicate the experiment in small cities and towns depending on their success.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Haryana has one of the highest crime rates against women with 8,974 cases (3,501 of dowry harassment, 1,174 rapes and 230 gang rapes) registered in 2014 alone. Officials said the women-exclusive stations aimed at instilling confidence into women victims.

Haryana Director General of Police (DGP) YP Singhal said: “With the opening of these police stations, we hope that women in the state would be able to access a new statewide security system that promises an environment conducive to fearless reporting and sensitive investigation of crimes against them by women police officers.”

Each station would have at least 38 police personnel besides a support staff of 8-10 male police officials to conduct raids, apprehend the accused and other related duties. The cops would investigate cases related to stalking, dowry death, foeticide, molestation, sexual harassment, disrobing, voyeurism, eve-teasing, abduction, elopement, kidnapping, rape and dowry.