Two years after the brutal gang rape of a young paramedic student in a bus shook the country, Delhi Police Commissioner B.S. Bassi has assured that his force has taken several steps towards ensuring the safety of women.
"At the outset, particularly after December 16, Delhi Police has taken a number of steps to ensure that the victims of crime against women feel confident of reporting any harassment that they face, to police. A lot of changes in law have also occurred. A number of steps have also been taken the Delhi Police to ensure that the women who come to police, their grievances are heard effectively, investigation is carried out speedily and culprits are bought to book," said B.S.Bassi.
"Our special protection unit for women and children has been conducting self-defence training programmes for the women so that they become capable of defending themselves in case of any assault," he added.
In every territorial police station of Delhi, according to Bassi, there are at least eight to ten women police officers and a 24/7 women help desk.
The Commissioner said his force sought to ensure that any woman who comes to a police station with any grievance, her complaint is heard by a woman police officer and then thereafter, whatever is necessary is done.
"Particularly, the investigation is carried out by women police officers," he said.
"I have given instructions that within 20 days of the arrest, the chargesheet must be filed. And, if not done so then the Deputy Commissioner has to bring the matter to the notice of Joint Commissioner. If the chargesheet is not filed within 30 days, then the matter has to be brought to the notice of the Special Commissioner of Law and Order," Bassi further added.
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Explaining the objective of these steps he said, "The objective is that, no chargesheet or investigation should remain unnecessarily pending after the arrest of accuse."
Bassi also talked of the security measures taken for working women who take up paying guest accommodation.
"We have carried out security audit of a large number of paying guest accommodation where women stay, particularly working women who are from other stations and are staying in Delhi. A number of steps have also been taken to ensure that women do not face any harassment in such paying guest accommodations," he said.
The commissioner also urged for compulsory self- defence training programmes in each school.
"We are going to urge that compulsory defence- training programme should be introduced for girl students, right at the age of seven or eight. So that, by the time they are in class tenth, they become so empowered that in case of any assault they can make the assailant lick the dust," Bassi said.
He added that a number of places which are vulnerable or otherwise important have been identified, and are covered by deployment of PCR vans, local police and motorcycle patrolling.
"We are making sure that our officers are properly sensitized. Apart from this, we have also been organizing special gender sensitization classes," he added.