MORE WOMEN COPS NEEDED: HC

Taking note of the New Year’s fiasco wherein several women reported to have been molested by miscreants among revellers, the Karnataka High Court has directed the state government to infuse the state police force with more women personnel as the present number is inadequate. The February 3 High Court direction detailed the government to come out with an action plan to achieve the results. “As the number of women police in the state police force appears not to be enough to deal with crimes relating to women who constitute 50 per cent of the population, the state government should come out with an action plan to enhance their number in future,” Justice AN Venugopala Gowda had ordered. The case will be heard next on March 3 with the state government expected “to furnish the data as well as the action plan,” in pursuance of this order. The report ‘Data on Police Organisation in India’ came in handy for the court to check the statistics. The national average of female police officers in the police force is 7.1 per cent. In Karnataka, it is even lower than the national average – at around 6 per cent. Only 4,354 police personnel among the 70,934 in Karnataka, are women. There are only 606 women police in Bengaluru and out of them, 502 are constables. Compared to National Capital Region (NCR) of Delhi and Mumbai, Bengaluru lags far behind in employing women in the police force. Delhi has 6,000 and Mumbai 4,000 female police personnel, according to the report. Neighbouring Tamil Nadu has the highest number of all-women police stations. Karnataka has 20 all-women police stations in its 30 districts, “which means not even one in each district,” the court noted. Tamil Nadu has reserved 33 per cent of posts in the police force for women. Karnataka apparently has reserved 20 per cent of the posts, but “the reality appears to be otherwise which becomes clear from the fact that out of the strength of 70,934 police personnel, the women police personnel is only 4,354, who are mostly assigned for security duties rather than the frontline responsibilities,” the court said. The court also noted that there seems to be lack of adequate facilities like rest-rooms for women police in the police stations. The court said it was necessary to have women in police stations as “surveys conducted have shown that presence of women in police stations makes it more comfortable to report incidents like eve-teasing, molestation, dowry related issues, sexual harassment cases etc, for women.” The HC referred to the New Year eve incidents and said, “With meagre women police personnel, it will be difficult to prevent incidents of the type reported by the media during first week of January, 2017. With the reporting/telecasting, whether there is truth or otherwise, damage was done to the reputation of the state of Karnataka, more particularly Bengaluru city. The damage done cannot be undone, even with investigations, if any, undertaken having proved otherwise, as was stated.” THE COURT ON NYE INCIDENTS “Women constitute about 50 per cent of the total population in the state of Karnataka. With meagre women police personnel it will be difficult to prevent the incidents of the type reported by the media, both print and electronic, during the first week of January, 2017. However, AS Ponnanna (additional advocate general) submitted that what was reported in the media about the crimes against women on New Year’s Eve is incorrect. According to him, there was a vast difference between what actually happened and what was reported/telecasted by the media. “With the reporting/telecasting, whether there is truth or otherwise, damage was done to the reputation of the state of Karnataka, more particularly Bengaluru City which is called Silicon Valley. The damage done cannot be undone, even with investigation if any undertaken having proved otherwise as was stated.”