All the police stations in Guwahati will have women cells after the infrastructure of the thanas are improved under the Mission for Overall Improvement of Thana for Responsive Image (MOITRI), claimed director general of police (DGP), Mukesh Sahay.
Sahay said, “Work has already started in 73 police stations in Assam and within 3 to 5 years, all the police stations in the state will be transformed,” stressing that the entire state will come under the gambit of this improvement.
Among these 73 police stations, presently 3 police stations in Guwahati – Jalukbari, Basistha and Sonapur – have been identified to be put under the scheme, claimed the DGP.
Eventually, 346 police stations in the state would be covered under the scheme for which Rs 125 crores has been earmarked.
The police stations to be covered under the scheme will have facilities like a reception and waiting lounge, video-conference system, separate cells and entrances for women and children, toilets, adequate drinking water and boundary wall, among others.
Talking about increasing the women work force, the DGP revealed that 40 women sub-inspectors are under training and 39 more would be appointed soon.
There would be openings soon for recruiting more women police personnel.
Is city police prepared to set up women cells in all thanas?
Assam police claimed that there will be women cells set up in all the police stations of the city which will deal with crime against women cases. Is Guwahati police ready with the infrastructure for such an initiative? Are there enough women in the police force of Guwahati?
“We have a habit of announcing certain schemes without being prepared for it,” said a senior police official on the condition of anonymity.
The official revealed that there are some police stations in Guwahati where there is no privacy for the women force. For example, both male and female police personnel use the same toilet.
Women cells in police stations are an old concept but there is not much infrastructure to start the initiative immediately, claimed the official.
There was only one women cell located in the Panbazar police station which has presently been shifted to Geetanagar police station because the All Women Police Station is also located in Panbazar.
In the rest of the police stations there are women workforce deployed but there are very less women officers in the city. The women police constables again are always busy with traffic and law and order duties to be manning women cells in police stations.
A source in the city police revealed that there is only one inspector level woman police officer in Guwahati. There are 12 women sub-inspectors, 2 women deputy commissioners of police (IAS), 4 assistant commissioners of police (APS) and one additional deputy commissioner of police (APS).
Talking about women police constables (WPC), there are around 200 women constables posted in Guwahati and 60 more are working here on deputation.
Within the total police force, 30% should be women police personnel, but there is not even 10% at present, revealed the source.
