Feedback key to functioning of anti-Romeo squads: B K Gupta

BJP had announced the formation of anti-Romeo squads to ensure the safety of women in UP

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in its Uttar Pradesh (UP) manifesto, had announced the formation of “anti-Romeo squads” to ensure the safety of women, but reports of harassment by these squads are flowing. Last week, members of the squad allegedly shaved a man’s head after he was seen in public with a female friend. In a separate incident, they were filmed accepting a bribe of Rs 5,000 from two cousins who kept insisting they were not a couple. B K Gupta, former commissioner of Delhi Police, speaks to Nikita Puri about the need for such squads and how clear directions are a must to ensure their powers are not misused. Edited excerpts:

 
Is there any merit behind the need for such squads?

They may have given a new name to this, but frankly this isn’t a new thing. Delhi Police also deploys cops with a specific intention to curb incidents of indecent behaviour and eve-teasing, and it happens in other states, too. 
The concept is good. I was born and brought up in UP and I know for a fact that such incidents are more common there.

 
There already have been reports of the police harassing couples in the guise of protecting women. How can such incidents be prevented?
 

What this squad really requires is clear guidelines. 
Even during my time as the joint commissioner of Delhi Police, there were complaints against of harassment against the police. People do have friends from the opposite sex, and when they’d sit in public places like the Nehru Garden, Buddha Jayanti Park or near India Gate, the police would trouble them unnecessarily.
 
I issued instructions that the cops must not bother the ones sitting in peace; they were told to not even question these people. Things became better after that.
 
The director general of UP police has recently given a list of do’s and don’ts to these squads. Is that enough?

It takes time for things to be properly established. When something new comes in, people often overreact, and cops have also done the same by imposing fines or beating somebody. This behaviour is unnecessary. 
 
Hopefully, the police who have become overzealous will act according to directions issued to them. I believe that gradually we’ll stop hearing about such things from UP.
 
Also, it has become much easier for cases of harassment from cops to come to the limelight. There were no smartphones earlier but now people can easily make videos. Policemen have also become more careful now.
 

In response to a public interest litigation, a Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court gave its nod to anti-Romeo squads and said that the move wasn’t to encourage moral policing but “preventive policing”.
 
You really can’t question the legality of this squad. Romeo specifically relates to men in relationships, so yes, the terminology is a little misleading. It should essentially have been called anti-eve teasing squad or something like that.
 
The authorities should ensure that the police doesn’t indulge in extortion rackets. If boys and girls are sitting together, the police should be given special instructions not to approach them at all.

 
Do you think such squads can bring about a positive change? 
 
It’s really not the intention of the anti-Romeo squad to harass people, but sometimes it’s necessary to create a little fear. There has been a bit of an overreaction here, and that has also created fear psychosis in people. Hopefully it would have also affected mischief mongers: things will automatically become better if they worry. 
 
Till very recently, cops were not very pro-active with cases of eve-teasing. And since the police didn’t appear helpful, girls also avoided approaching them. They would only go to the police station if there was a problem. But hopefully, that will change now. 

 
Is there a particular way these squads should be designed?
 
They have to be given earmarked areas where incidence of harassment and eve-teasing are high. And, it shouldn’t just be a one-person team, there should be at least three-four of them and 50 per cent of the team should comprise policewomen. 
 
A few of the cops should be in uniform, others should be in plain clothes. In Delhi, we specifically chose young policemen and women who could easily blend in the university environment to identify people involved in anti-social activities. No person of bad reputation should be on the  team. 

 
Now that these squads have legal backing, how can we ensure that they don’t overstep their brief?
 
We used to get a lot of complaints from Jesus and Mary College (women-only), so we posted PCR vans in the area. But later on when I interacted with the students, they told me how it was the police who made them feel uncomfortable. That’s when we started posting largely women cops in these areas. 
 
The point here is that now that these squads are active, senior cops should go and talk to people in colleges and other places to get feedback. It’s only interaction and feedback from people that can ensure proper functioning of anti-Romeo squads.