No anti-Romeo squads in Delhi: Cops

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 26

The Delhi police have ruled out and discarded the speculation of introducing the anti-Romeo squads like Uttar Pradesh in Delhi.

According to some top officials in the Delhi government and police, there were reports that the Delhi Police is thinking of a proposal to introduce women squads to patrol the areas which render women on scooters vulnerable.

Delhi police spokesperson Dependra Pathak, Joint Commissioner of Police, denied the reports saying no initiative akin to UP has taken as of now.

"There is no such squad or move in the offing as of now. The Delhi Police is sensitive towards the issue of women safety and anti-stalking measures," said Special Commissioner of Police (Operations) Dependra Pathak, also the chief spokesperson of the force.

Speaking to the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) on the matter they said, “Delhi should have something like UP Romeo squads, but not the way they are countering the issue. Because it has been seen that couples unnecessarily are been framed and harassed. 

Therefore, the Delhi Police should come up with something more matured move.”

According to a Delhi Police official, “We have started this long time ago, during the time of Commissioner of Police B S Bassi. The 'Operation Shishtachar' in which women officials in plainclothes deployed in buses and at crowded places and used to catch miscreants found harassing women.

And after catching such miscreants they would then be counselled by religious gurus against indulging in such activities, but the initiative lost the steam later.