Kolhapur: 'Nirbhaya Squad' has booked 8,000+ eve-teasers, counseled many more
In Kolhapur, the all-women "Nirbhaya Squad" has registered 8,846 cases of eve-teasing till July, reports TOI. The team, formed on the lines of Hyderabad's "She Team", came into existence in 2016. They have now intensified the crackdown against eve-teasers. Along with this, the team also counsels youngsters to make them aware of crime against women. About 15,131 were counseled till July. Here's more.
Armed with cameras, Squad keeps close watch on miscreants
The Nirbhaya Squad watches miscreants outside schools, colleges, and in spaces like markets and bus stops. They have a special uniform, ride motorcycles, and are equipped with cameras to record the action of miscreants. Till now the team only took mild action against the eve-teasers, but now they have been directed to book miscreants under IPC Section 354 (molestation), said SP Abhinav Deshmukh.
Complaint boxes kept in colleges for students
Till now, Nirbhaya Squad has booked 9 eve-teasers under the aforementioned IPC section. They are also responsible for reducing the number of eve-teasing incidents. This is done through counseling. 155 workshops have been held till July-end. There are six teams that work in Kolhapur city, Karveer, Ichalkaranji, Jaysingpur, Gadhinglaj, and Shahuwadi. Complaint boxes are also kept in colleges where students can speak about molestation.
In Karnataka too, an all-women squad was formed
In Karnataka's Vijayapura, too, an all-women Squad named "Rani Chennamma" has been formed to tackle eve-teasing. The team, which consists of one Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) and five female constables, began its job on Independence Day. They would start patrol around schools/colleges at 8 am and continue till 8 pm. SP Prakash Nikam said presence of the squad will send a strong message to eve-teasers.
