Roadside romeos target even SHE teams in Karimnagar
A woman constable, requesting anonymity, says she has been subjected to eve-teasing while doing the rounds of 'hot-spots' in the city
Karimnagar: One would like to believe that a woman in uniform would strike some fear among potential eve-teasers. But believe it or not, even policewomen from SHE teams in Karimnagar district are subjected to lewd remarks, abusive language and sometimes even propositioned by the bolder elements among roadside Romeos.
Telangana Today, spoke to some members of the teams, and what they had to say indicates that the uniform is not really a deterrent, at least with some anti-social elements.
A woman constable, requesting anonymity, says she has been subjected to eve-teasing while doing the rounds of ‘hot-spots’ in the city. “I have faced eve-teasing on several occasions at the bus stand, Tower circle and other areas. Some time ago, a youth tried to snatch my ‘chunni’ while I was observing the movements of eve-teasers in the district headquarters bus stand. He ran away when I tried to catch him,” she said.
What is more horrific is that the constable was even propositioned by a youth who flashed money before her. “Dropping slips having phone numbers is a common occurrence. We record the movements of eve-teasers with the help of either secret cameras or mobile phones and then take them into custody. They are subsequently given counselling in front of their family members at the police station with the hope that they will mend their ways,” she said.
But, did she ever regret joining the police force? “No, never. I always feel I am helping other women and providing service to the people. Being a responsible citizen and more so, as a policewoman, it is my responsibility to help the needy,” she said.
So, what gives her most satisfaction as a policewoman? Narrating a recent incident, the constable said: “A housewife shared her phone number with an unknown person over Sharechat. Subsequently, the man began blackmailing her and started asking for nude photos to be sent. Though he had no photographs of the lady, he threatened to post her photos on social media on the occasion of her wedding anniversary. The helpless woman was on the verge of commiting suicide, but she finally approached a SHE team.”
Stating that she personally spoke with the blackmailer to extract more details about him, she said he was arrested within hours and a case was booked against him.
In another incident, the constable recalls, a girl shared her photographs on Instagram. Taking advantage, a youth started blackmailing her with threats of sending the pictures to her fiance and post it on social media platforms. “The girl’s family was worried that the marriage might get cancelled if the photos appeared on social media. The SHE team dealt with the case tactically and detained the accused without allowing leak of even a single photograph. The family members were happy with out effort,” she said.
Started in 2016, the five SHE teams in the district have solved hundreds of cases.
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