Women police station sans seating arrangements

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, December 21

The women’s police station does not even have seating arrangements for members of the public due to which they have to sit on the ground in the open.

A visit to the women’s police station today belied the claims of the state government that these police stations have been opened in each district to provide better facilities to women demanding justice.

Officials at the police station have set up a special room in which they have kept a bed for rest, a refrigerator to drink cold water from and two television sets for their entertainment. But the articles that the officials are using are related to matrimonial disputes going on in the courts. The dowry materials are lying unattended to, exposed to sun and rain, occupying free space as there is only one small godown which is not enough to store the material in large numbers.

Women and their relatives sitting outside in the open at the police station said they were there as there were no arrangements to sit inside the police station. A woman said officials should provide at least seating arrangements for the visitors.

Ranjit Singh, who has come with his niece for the matrimonial dispute case, said: “We are waiting here since morning for the officials to come. As there is no proper seating arrangement, we are sitting on the ground.”

Officials at the women’s police station said, “While recording the statements, we want only the boy and the girl to be present in the room. So their relatives are told to stay out.”

On the use of dowry materials at the police station, she said they have kept them inside the room so that they do not get destroyed outside.