*Everyday, several persons visit the Women's Police Station on Irwin Road in the city, to lodge complaints about various instances of domestic abuse. The station, however, suffers from a shortage of personnel, affecting its activities. Officials of the department maintain, that there are enough personnel at the Station, to tend to the growing number of complaints being registered there.*
Sabiha Kousar, a resident of Mysore, had visited the Station recently, to lodge a complaint against her husband. After a long wait, she lodged a complaint on the brutalities suffered by her, during five years of marriage. Sabiha's first pregnancy was a miscarriage, as her husband and in-laws refused to feed her, after learning that the foetus was female. Following repeated threats by her husband to kill her, she fled from her husband's house in Bangalore, and filed a complaint in the city.
Due to a lack of awareness about Women's police station, she initially approached the Police Commissioner's office, where she was directed to the Station.
Speaking to Deccan Herald, she said, though Women's Police Station helped women like her, there should be separate desks for lodging complaints, and for counselling couples.
Like other police stations, the Women's Police Station is dogged by a shortage of personnel.
Of the 34 sanctioned posts, only 25 have been filled. Among the 25, several personnel have been deputed to other police stations, with only skeletal staff left to tend to the complainants. For instance, the police inspector of the station, Susheela R, is holding additional charge at V V Puram traffic police.
According to personnel at the police station, apart from these deputations, two to four personnel are deputed to escort female prisoners to courts in the city, regularly, adding to the shortage of staff. "Remaining personnel will have to look after office work such as registering complaints and counselling couples. Two personnel are required to issue notices to persons against whom complaints have been lodged, at their doorsteps," she said.
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Mahila Sahayavani*
Despite the constraints, a total of 80 cases, of which 66 are related to Dowry Prohibition Act, and 13 under Acts to prevent domestic abuse has been lodged at the Police Station. "More and more women are approaching the Station, most of the grievances are sorted out with the help of Mahila Sahayavani," she said.
ACP (Devaraja), Jayamaruthi, said, shortage of staff does not affect the activities of the Women's Police Station. "The role of the Station has been reduced due to the presence of 'Mahila Sahayavani', which conducts most of the counselling. Only cases that cannot be sorted out there are taken up at the Station," he said. He said, there are enough personnel to record the statement of the complainants and collect evidence about the case.
Acknowledging that the number of staff present at the Station, was below the number of sanctioned posts, he said, the posts are expected to be filled within a year.
When asked about the absence of a full-time head for the Women's Police Station, Commissioner of Police M A Saleem said, an officer of inspector cadre, has to probe only serious offences, while others cases are being probed by two sub-inspectors at the Police Station. "Since, only a small number of cases are being registered at the Station, there are enough personnel to tend to them," he said. Reported by Deccan Herald 7 hours ago.
Sabiha Kousar, a resident of Mysore, had visited the Station recently, to lodge a complaint against her husband. After a long wait, she lodged a complaint on the brutalities suffered by her, during five years of marriage. Sabiha's first pregnancy was a miscarriage, as her husband and in-laws refused to feed her, after learning that the foetus was female. Following repeated threats by her husband to kill her, she fled from her husband's house in Bangalore, and filed a complaint in the city.
Due to a lack of awareness about Women's police station, she initially approached the Police Commissioner's office, where she was directed to the Station.
Speaking to Deccan Herald, she said, though Women's Police Station helped women like her, there should be separate desks for lodging complaints, and for counselling couples.
Like other police stations, the Women's Police Station is dogged by a shortage of personnel.
Of the 34 sanctioned posts, only 25 have been filled. Among the 25, several personnel have been deputed to other police stations, with only skeletal staff left to tend to the complainants. For instance, the police inspector of the station, Susheela R, is holding additional charge at V V Puram traffic police.
According to personnel at the police station, apart from these deputations, two to four personnel are deputed to escort female prisoners to courts in the city, regularly, adding to the shortage of staff. "Remaining personnel will have to look after office work such as registering complaints and counselling couples. Two personnel are required to issue notices to persons against whom complaints have been lodged, at their doorsteps," she said.
*
Mahila Sahayavani*
Despite the constraints, a total of 80 cases, of which 66 are related to Dowry Prohibition Act, and 13 under Acts to prevent domestic abuse has been lodged at the Police Station. "More and more women are approaching the Station, most of the grievances are sorted out with the help of Mahila Sahayavani," she said.
ACP (Devaraja), Jayamaruthi, said, shortage of staff does not affect the activities of the Women's Police Station. "The role of the Station has been reduced due to the presence of 'Mahila Sahayavani', which conducts most of the counselling. Only cases that cannot be sorted out there are taken up at the Station," he said. He said, there are enough personnel to record the statement of the complainants and collect evidence about the case.
Acknowledging that the number of staff present at the Station, was below the number of sanctioned posts, he said, the posts are expected to be filled within a year.
When asked about the absence of a full-time head for the Women's Police Station, Commissioner of Police M A Saleem said, an officer of inspector cadre, has to probe only serious offences, while others cases are being probed by two sub-inspectors at the Police Station. "Since, only a small number of cases are being registered at the Station, there are enough personnel to tend to them," he said. Reported by Deccan Herald 7 hours ago.
