Shamsher Singh, city police commissioner, announced that all police stations were set up as “anti-romeo” squads to ensure safety at sheri garbas during the Navratri festival. On the nine nights of the festival, 43 She Teams have been instructed to stay active on the ground until midnight – the deadline for garba venues to wind up festivities – rather than their usual duty hours, which end at 10 p.m.
“The officers of the She Team will be dressed in casual clothes and will keep an eye on the sheri garbas in their own jurisdictions until midnight. On regular days, their second shift ends at 10 pm but for the nine nights of Navratri, they will be on the ground until midnight. We have identified specific areas under police stations that are prone to cases of eve-teasing and such incidents of harassment against women. The presence of the women officers on the ground will help avert such untoward incidents,” Singh told to the media.
With the commercial garbas prohibited this year, in view of the Covid-19 pandemic, residents are expected to head to public street garbas in their vicinity, which are vulnerable to the presence of “anti-social elements”, the police circular issued to the police inspectors of the city Thursday states.
