Here, women man the PS

The first all-women police station of India came up in Chennai as early as 1991. Till date, 200 more have been created in the state. Delhi, on the other hand, took 17 years to set up a similar police station. On March 31 this year, the first women thana became operational in the capital's Nanakpura locality. The old Crime Against Women cell ��� a reconciliatory body that mediated in cases of marital discord ��� was converted into a full-fledged police station with power to register cases.
SHO Sunita Sharma, who mans the thana, is addressed as 'sir'.The all-women thana has also recruited five-odd male constables/SIs, in case it needs 'help'. "The male staff has been given necessary orientation training due to sensitivity of the issues relating to women's dignity and self respect," says Sharma.
The staff here is enthused. "Since most of us are women, victims can freely discuss their personal problems with us, which they couldn't have done in a regular thana. Also, with male staff on board, if there is need of some mediation or talking to male members of the family in question, that can also be taken care of," says Neeta Malhotra, ACP (self defense).
The two-month-old thana has already received hundreds of distress calls. Recalls Malhotra, "Our first complaint was of a teenager who fell victim to workplace abuse, with a middle-aged boss throwing indecent proposals everyday. We tried talking it out with the boss, but finally, had to put him in the lock up for the night," says Malhotra. Some cases have been more serious. "Newlyweds come in the middle of night with scars on their bodies inflicted by in-laws. They are given first aid and we see if the in-laws need to be counselled or warned," she adds.
Part authority figure and part counsellor, the staff here are trained to handle complaints ranging from violence, neglect, infidelity to dowry harassment. They often use the pressure of social embarrassment to remind an errant husband and his family that their behaviour is unacceptable.
The emphasis on counselling and reconciling, however, is not appreciated by all. Saroj Bhagat, who came to complain about the physical harassment of her daughter, is unhappy. "We requested the cops to arrest them. But instead, we are being asked to strike a compromise with the other party," she grimaces.
Surprisingly, not a single rape case has been registered so far. "Although we would eventually like to deal with criminal cases, at present we are dealing only with civil cases," explains Malhotra.
It's still early days and the thana has a long way to go.
divya.aggarwal@timesgroup.com