Vigilante committees to curb eve-teasing

PUNE, Sept 28: Taking a serious note of the marked increase in crime against woman, the Pune police have decided to form vigilante commit...

PUNE, Sept 28: Taking a serious note of the marked increase in crime against woman, the Pune police have decided to form vigilante committees of school and college going students to curb eve-easing incidents outside various educational institutions. While such committees have already been formed at some institutions, the work of forming committees at the remaining colleges and schools is on, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Ramrao Pawar told The Indian Express.

Police officials would be holding monthly meetings with these committee members for better assessment of the situation. Policemen will be deployed at various places identified as “trouble spots” by the committee members, he added.

Alarmed at the sharp rise in the number of abductions and rapes, the top brass of Pune police is planning to direct policemen to keep an eye on any suspicious movement of all vehicles plying on various city roads.

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Five cases of rape have been reported from various parts of the city and in fringes the rural areas during the last fortnight alone. In four of these cases, the victims alleged that they were abducted by the rapists, acquaintances in two incidents.

Though DCP Pawar admitted that abduction and rape cases were on the rise, he felt that it did not indicate that safety of women in general was under any threat.

A total of 27 rapes were reported to the police during the first eight months of this year as against 22 recorded between January and August last year. A total of 23 women were abducted in the first eight months of 1997. The number has increased to 27 this year. A total of 294 cases of crime against women were recorded between January 1998 and August 1998. The number was 292 during the first eight months of the last year.

DCP Pawar observed that the crimes against women were mostly the fallout of the victims’ tendency to surrender to the aggressors. “All the abductions and rapes reported in the recent past could have been alerted had the victims tried to fight back or raise an alarm,” he said.

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DCP Pawar also felt that the public could play a significant role in curbing crimes against women. “Many times eve-teasing victims hesitate to approach the police. We would be able to take effective action against the culprits if received any tip off,” he explained. The Pune police, in coordination with various non-government organisations (NGOs), have been working to spread public awareness for the last two decades. “We have formed a Mahila Dakshata Samiti for the purpose. The marked increase in the number of reported cases indicates that the awareness is rising,” he added.

Sub Inspector Sushama Savant-Chavan, ex-officio member of the Mahila Dakshata Samiti, felt that the changing socio-cultural ethos was a major factor resulting in increase in crime against women. “The entire concept of morality has changed. Rampant portrayal of sex and violence by the media is also responsible,” she felt.