CHANDIGARH: Taking a cue from his Uttar Pradesh counterpart chief minister Yogi Adityanath, the Manohar Lal Khattar led BJP government in Haryana has launched 'Operation Durga', similar to the anti-Romeo squads in UP under which the State police has nabbed 107 eve teasers.
Under Operation Durga, launched to ensure the safety of women in the State, the Haryana Police arrested 23 persons who were indulged in crimes against women, including eve teasing, and had registered nine criminal cases including three each at Panipat and Gurugram, and one each at Bhiwani, Sirsa and Faridabad districts of the State.
Sources in the police department said that their teams had conducted 41 raids at public places such as schools, colleges, bus stands and railway stations, and nabbed 107 persons. Twenty-four teams formed by the Manohar Lal Khattar’s flying squad nabbed these people from various districts. The teams comprise policewomen, including nine sub- inspectors of police, 14 assistant sub-inspectors, six head constables and 13 constables, besides other police officers from each district.
A police official said that others were warned to be careful in the future and released by local police after a written assurance by parents, guardians and socially respectable people.
The Haryana government had established women police stations in all districts to ensure women’s safety and provide them with a safe place to lodge complaints. However, it had been observed that women hesitated in reporting incidents involving such anti-social elements.
Therefore, the campaign was undertaken after identifying places where such anti-social elements were indulging in eve teasing, vulgar comments, stalking and other similar activities, he added.
In Gurgaon, the CID team carried out this operation at public colleges and outside the schools. An official said that three youth had been arrested by the team and handed over to district police for further action.
In September 2016, Gurgaon police had rounded up 76 people from MG road for misbehaving with women under operation Romeo. Gurgaon police had been conducting such operations regularly but it is for the first time that a Statewide operation has been launched.