HYDERABAD: People of Telangana, especially women, will remember June 14 as a Black Friday.
It was the night of two shameful incidents — one right in the heart of the city in Begumpet and the other at the city’s outskirts in Shamshabad, both violent and horrific atrocities against women that left the State in a shock.
The incidents have exposed the disparity in the service delivery of police department to the citizens, especially women, in the State. Though the incidents were different in nature, in terms of gravity and harm done to the victims, how police responded to them at different levels, raised doubts over the Telangana police’s claims of ‘Uniform Service Delivery’.
While there was an immediate response to the Shamshabad incident, in Begumpet incident, the victim, who is a pub dancer, alleged that she was stripped and beaten up by her colleagues, even as police stood as mute spectators.
The DGP himself called up the officials and reportedly asked them to submit a comprehensive report on the incident.
Citizen-friendly policing!
Telangana police have long been bragging about providing Uniform Service Delivery, across around 800 police stations in the State.
Even the State police chief, M Mahendar Reddy stressed this aspect several times in the past, indicating the importance given by the police department for a better and citizen-friendly policing.
In the past, Mahendar Reddy had said that the department wants to work with better synergy with people, organisations and other wings of the government.
By working as per the needs of the people, the department wants to pave way for making Telangana a secure, safe and peaceful place for all citizens to live in, he had said.
However, Friday night’s issue reported at Begumpet, under the police limits of Punjagutta — once adjudged second best police station in the country, showing how this message was not well received by some officers.
Stripped, assaulted
The victim claimed that though police personnel were present when she was stripped and assaulted on the ever-busy Begumpet-Punjagutta stretch, they refused to rescue her and gave free advice to approach police station.
“It was other customers of the pub, though in an inebriated condition, rescued me. Despite repeated requests, the police refused to act and drove me away. The saddest part was at the police station, on duty officers exchanged pleasantries with the accused,” she alleged.
Though the accused were arrested immediately, the manner in which the victim was treated is appalling.
Brownie points for sensitivity?
At Shamshabad, the victim who was harassed by bike-borne miscreants at midnight received a sympathetic response from the officers at RGIA station.