UP police to integrate women helplines for quicker response

Lucknow: Gearing up to ensure timely response to women and minors in distress, the Uttar Pradesh Police has decided to integrate women helpline (1090), anti-romeo squad and UP-100 services besides fast-tracking trial of cases under the POCSO Act. 

"We are giving utmost priority to checking crime against women. The state already has women helpline (1090), anti-romeo squad and UP-100 services, where women can report crime against them. Now, with a view to provide immediate help to victims, we are going to integrate these three," Director General of Police (DGP) OP Singh said.

"Now anyone who wants to report their woes can dial any of these numbers and they will get a timely response. With integration of all these, better coordination will be ensured helping in reducing response time so that victims get timely help," the DGP said. 

He said the state police are committed to the security of women/girls and in cases of POCSO, it will be ensured that accused are convicted by fast-tracking such cases. 

"We are going to fast track all POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual offences) cases in which charge sheets were submitted so that the accused are convicted. We are also sensitising the force to deal with such cases," he said. 

As per official data of state police, between January 1 to March 31, as many as 11,249 cases of crime were reported against women of which there were 899 cases of rape, 502 of dowry, 2,892 of sexual harassment, 3,573 of abduction and 3,135 cases of atrocities on women. 

According to the police, the crime pattern was analysed and it came to the fore that in eight out of 10 rape or kidnapping cases, women had been assaulted by their acquaintances and not strangers.

The DGP said state police regularly reviews status of crime against women and girls. FIRs registered under IPC sections amounting to rape or rape bid, kidnapping or abduction of women, dowry death, sexual harassment, obscenity, cruelty by husband or relatives or harassment over dowry among other charges are being reviewed to initiate measures to check such incidents. 

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had recently said that women's safety and honour was the top priority of his government, which is taking all possible steps for their welfare and to make them self-reliant.

He said his government is running a number of schemes and programmes to keep crime against women under control. His remarks came against the backdrop of outrage over the alleged involvement of BJP MLA Kuldeep Sengar in a rape case. 

Facing opposition flak, the state government handed over the case to the CBI, which arrested him on April 13 after questioning him for over 15 hours. 

The rape victim's father, who was found dead in police custody, was allegedly falsely framed in a case of possessing illicit arms and sent to jail on the complaint of a person after being beaten up by the MLA's brother and his goons on the evening of April 3.

The girl's father was then lodged in Unnao district jail allegedly without proper medical treatment resulting in his death in the Unnao district hospital on April 9. 

The incident hogged media headlines for days together after the matter came to light when the victim tried to immolate herself outside the chief minister's residence over alleged police inaction in the case.