Ready to shoot culprits dead if law allows: BS Bassi

Speaking firmly on the Delhi police’s commitment to ensure safety of women in the city, Delhi police commissioner B.S. Bassi said on Monday that if the Constitution permitted his men, they would not hesitate to shoot the accused in crimes against women.

“If the Constitution permits shooting or hanging on spot, the Delhi police will not refrain from doing so to people who commit heinous crimes against women,” Mr Bassi said while addressing the issue of safety of women during the annual press conference on Monday.

He also exhorted the need to make women self-dependent by imparting self-defence training. “When we say that women should be able to defend themselves, people say that we are running away from our responsibilities. It is not like that. We have always been doing our job and will continue to do so. But in times when commodification of women is being done, the best way to tackle this issue is to train our girls in such a way that they could beat at least four men like you and me easily,” Mr Bassi said.

“The society also needs to realise its role. How many of us are not part of commodifying women ” the top cop asked, adding, “While dealing with any woman we make a typecast image of her. This needs to change and this can only be possible when we strengthen them.”

“However, people who shed crocodile tears will never appreciate the role of the police,” Mr Bassi said without naming whom he was referring to.

The top cop reiterated the police’s commitment to ensure safety of women. “I remember when I was not in the force, police officers would catch the eve-teasers and would beat them up to the police station,” he said, adding, “Of course that cannot be done now as there are human rights and we are against third degree. But my point is that the police was doing their job then, the police is doing its job even now and will continue to do so.”

Police records revealed that 2095 cases of rape, 5192 molestations and 1444 cases of eve-teasing were reported till December 15, 2015, compared to 2085 rapes, 4182 molestations and 1282 eve-teasing cases in the corresponding period previous year.

Records further revealed, almost 39 per cent of the rapes were committed by friends and family members’ friends.

Need more women cabs, says BS Bassi Delhi police commissioner B.S. Bassi on Monday expressed regret over the “slow expansion” of women cab service in the city and exhorted his younger colleagues to take up the challenge of bringing greater number of woman drivers under the ambit of the empowerment scheme. “It was an ambitious project and should have been taken up as a mission. But, unfortunately, we couldn’t (do) much as we got stuck in certain things... certain foolish things,” Mr Bassi said.

A woman cab service is run by and for women. These cabs are chauffeured only by women drivers, trained in self-defence and etiquettes. “When this project began, there were hardly any takers and it was very difficult to motivate women to take up the driving job. After we got our first lot, we trained them in self-defence and boosted their self-confidence and they ultimately felt the empowerment we were seeking in them,” he said.

“But, I hope my younger colleagues here would take this up and try to work on increasing the number of such women drivers,” the top cop added.

Bringing much-needed relief to women in the national capital, “MeruEve” — a cab service by and for women — was launched in January last year by Meru Company.

During the annual press conference a documentary on the success of the initiative was shown.