In a bid to promote the safety of women in Lucknow, authorities have re-aligned the agenda of the city’s Anti Romeo squad, that’ll now dedicatedly work to keep the rising rate of crime against the female population, in check. This re-vamped unit has not only been tasked to aggressively track eve-teasers but has also been given the power to initiate action against repeated offenders. According to reports, the Anti-Romeo squads will also be functioning soon in other districts of UP.
Lucknow develops systems to promote women safety
According to Inspector General Lucknow, an intensive drive will reveal results within the next few months, with a dip in molestation, eve-teasing and other such crimes, given the operations of the newly re-constitutionalised Anti-Romeo Squad. In a statement to the press, she stated, “We made a presentation before chief minister and after his nod, the re-modelled units were made operational.”
The already operational, revamped Anti-Romeo squads in Lucknow and neighbouring districts have so far handed out written warnings to over 30,000 youths indulging in objectionable acts over the past month and booked 2,491 repeat offenders, many of them under Goonda Act. According to the protocol, the squad first nabs and counsels stalkers and those passing lewd remarks in public, booking them under the Goonda Act only when they refuse to reform.
These women safety units have patrolled and checked about 10 lakh areas across the state, fined 16,299 youths for breach of peace and booked another 1,000 for obscenity and about 1,491 repeated offenders, under the Goonda Act in the past month. In some districts, those booked under Goonda Act have been ex from villages after a ‘name-and-shame’ drive.
Women safety to get a boost
This Lucknow born initiative will increase the safety of women across the state, furthering the objective of Mission Shakti, another state-grown campaign. The successful trajectory of these re-modelled Anti-Romeo squads have encouraged the state officials to introduce it across all districts in the region, boosting female safety, by directly calling out and then penalising the notorious elements of the society.
– With inputs from IANS
